THE Murray Bushrangers have learned their lessons from last season’s finals series and are ready to make a play for the TAC Cup grand final, forward Lachie Tiziani says.
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A straight-sets exit from the finals dampened what was a strong season for the Bushies last year.
But their qualifying final victory over the Dandenong Stingrays, a come-from-behind effort after trailing by five goals at one stage, went some way towards rectifying those wrongs.
“After getting done in both finals last year, we felt pretty good about making it through to the preliminary final,” Tiziani said.
“The squad is pretty calm at the moment, we know what to expect when we play Oakleigh on Saturday.”
The top-ager, who some considered unlucky not be be at an AFL club this year, said he was much happier being out on the field this time of year, rather than watching teammate Zach Sproule winning a flag with Albury like he was last season.
After spending the majority of last season under then-coach Darren Ogier playing across half-back, Tiziani said he was relishing a return to the forward line.
“This year (under new coach Leon Higgins) has been great,” he said.
“He’s given me a free run, I’ve played half-forward and moved into the midfield at times.
“Early in my career I played as a half-forward, so it’s been nice to get back to more familiar territory.
“Last year was a great learning curve though, I think it’s worked out well for me in the end.
“I’m a more versatile player overall.”
The Bushies will take an unchanged lineup into the preliminary final, the first time they have done so this season.
Mooroopna’s Jy Simpkin is the only listed player who is unavailable, with the talented midfielder still recovering from a broken leg.
“The 23 that represented the club in the qualifying final deserve the opportunity to play in the prelim,” coach Leon Higgins said.
“There are a few boys unlucky to miss out, but all that does is demonstrate the strength of this year’s squad”.
Saturday's game kicks off at 2:15pm at IKON Park.
The team is as follows: B, N.Nihill, H.Boyd, D.Langlands; HB, H.Morrison, R.Garthwaite, L.Pinnuck; C, J.Page, J.Cousins, N.Richards; HF, C.Spargo, T.Marshall, M.Marr; F, L.Tiziani, T.McMullan, B.Paton; FOLL, M.Lynch, W.Brodie, I.Wallace; INTER, Z.Sproule, J.Lane, F.Carroll, E.Ratugolea, D.Hemphill
