WODONGA Raiders coach Daryn Cresswell is poised to pull on the boots in a bid to end the club’s winless start to the Ovens and Murray season.
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The Raiders are 0-3 after going down to Lavington by 30 points and face another winless team in Corowa-Rutherglen, who pushed Albury for three quarters, in round four
In a much-needed boost for the Raiders, Matt McDonald is also set to line up against the Roos for his first match of the season after weighing up his future.
Cresswell, 44, said the Raiders were crying out of for on-field experience with just two players over the age of 25 lining up against Lavington.
The Sydney Swans champion, who played 244 AFL games from 1992-2003, last took to the field for a one-off match for Elmore in 2013 but was confident he could have an impact if he lined up at Birallee Park.
“I’m thinking about it, just for a bit of experience out on the ground,” he said.
“Obviously I’m not going to play like I used to but it might give the boys a bit of a buzz.
“We’ll assess it this week, because we do have a few coming back and I don’t want to keep a young kid out, but the next two weeks are pretty critical.
“I do a lot of running and I’ve been training with the boys for the past few weeks.
“If it’s going to happen it will be in the next two weeks.
“We just need a bit of experience out there to find our way around the ground.”
Cresswell said there was plenty to like for the Raiders despite the loss to the Panthers with debutant Will Donaghey impressing, Tom Sharp keeping Adam Prior to two goals and Steve Jolliffe playing his best match for the season.
“We’re 0-3 but we just need to get a win to start our season. I’m confident in the group,” he said.
“We matched it with Lavington all night, so there were some really good things to take out of the game.
“We need to bring the same intent and attitude that we had in the first half tonight against Corowa next week.
“When I was at Sydney in 1996 we were 0-3 and we finished on top of the ladder and played in a grand final.
“Our season starts now.”
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