Yarrawonga has received an eleventh hour gift with big man Lachie Howe to face Wangaratta on Saturday.
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Pigeons’ co-coach Chris Kennedy was informed by the star ruckman at 2.30pm on Friday he was now available after he was originally pencilled in for Collingwood’s VFL clash.
“It means Lach will have now played the first four games,” Kennedy said of his late inclusion.
“At the start of the year we thought we might get him for seven or eight matches, so it’s good news.”
Howe has been superb and is a huge boost at home to the Pigeons’ hopes of remaining undefeated.
He’s also been named in the interleague squad and co-coaches Jon Henry and Darrell Spencer will be desperate his VFL commitments don’t derail him playing against Goulburn Valley on May 13.
“You’ve got a bloke playing VFL and there’s probably no player in the form he’s in,” Kennedy said.
Unbeaten Wangaratta will be without boom forward Michael Newton, due to his sister’s wedding, so the inclusion of Howe only boosts Yarrawonga’s claim to favouritism.
“It’s something we’ve known about for a while and it’s unfortunate he’s unavailable for the game,” Wangaratta coach Dean Stone said.
“It’s a massive loss, but, as the old cliche goes, it gives players an opportunity to come up.
“We’ve brought in another tall in Darcy Laffy, who’s played senior footy, but we won’t just go like-for-like, at some point there will be talls and, at others, smalls.”