YARRAWONGA hopes the return of three premiership stars to the club can help the Pigeons break a six-match losing streak to Albury.
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Co-coach Drew Barnes said the experience of Marcus McMillan, Brad O’Connor and Nick Lawless would be vital as the Pigeons chase their first win over the Tigers since the 2013 grand final.
McMillan, O’Connor and Lawless all returned to the J.C. Lowe Oval this season after premiership-winning stints in the bush and they will need to step up at the Albury Sportsground on Saturday with Xavier Leslie (knee) still sidelined.
Young guns Bodhi Butts, Jess Koopman and Brayden Coburn have been key factors in Yarrawonga’s strong start to the season and Barnes doesn’t want them to be daunted by Albury.
He wants them to embrace the challenge.
“Everyone loves playing in these games against one of the best country football sides going around,” Barnes said.
“They run very deep so everyone right across our list is going to get the opportunity to play on a really good player.
“We want everyone to be really excited by that and to embrace that challenge.
“We’ve got a few senior guys back that have had some really good battles against them in Brad, Nick and ‘Motor’. They’ve been chatting to the group, as they do every week, to try and give them some insight about how the game might play out.
“Our young guys have been playing really good footy for most of the year so we just want them to continue what they’ve been doing because what they’ve been doing has been good.”
Scott Oswald (hamstring) and Brandon Symes (ankle) will return from injury through the reserves on Saturday.
The Tigers will miss Daniel Cross for the top-of-the-table contest but have regained Brayden O’Hara and Simon Thomas from injury.
Meanwhile, dual premiership player Ed Clarke has signed with Wangaratta.
Clarke has been living in Singapore for the past three years and while he is unlikely to immediately figure in senior calculations when he returns to Australia in early June, he will add depth and experience to the Magpies’ list.
Wangaratta welcomed former Melbourne forward Michael Newton into its side to tackle Wodonga at Norm Minns Oval.
Newton hasn’t played since injuring his calf in the opening minutes of the Wangaratta derby on April 24.
Wangaratta Rovers regained Dylan Stone and Darcy Booth to face Lavington but Sam Carpenter (hamstring) remains out.
- Teams: P49