WODONGA won’t play finals but have the chance to say who does this weekend.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Bulldogs first foray into district cricket has yielded just the one win.
They are now anchored to the bottom of the table but are at home today and tomorrow against Bethanga.
The Saints have been in free-fall since Christmas when they held down second spot.
They enter today’s game inside the top six but less than three points ahead of Dederang.
Bulldogs captain Ken Hayes said they wanted to go out on a high.
“We have nothing to lose,” he said.
“The incentive for the boys this week is to have a say in who plays finals even if we don’t.
“We will be using the same pitch that has been in play for the past three games, where 300 is about par for the course.”
Hayes said the experiment of fielding a district squad as well as teams in the top tier provincial competition had been a steep learning curve.
“The positive for the young guys coming through the grades is playing A grade cricket on turf wickets,” he said.
“The negative has been losing so many games.
“The year has been full of ups and downs where we have lost comprehensively in some games and should have won others.
“With a little more application and experience we should have beaten Eskdale and they are going to finish on top of the ladder.”
Dederang captain Andrew Creamer is hoping the Bulldogs can fulfil their promise this weekend.
The Demons sit just outside a spot in the finals after a shock loss to Baranduda last weekend and face their own challenges at home to last year’s premiers Mount Beauty.
“We didn’t bowl real flash last weekend and then played some silly shots to just fall short,” he said.
“Now we have a major challenge against Mount Beauty and have to hope that Wodonga can knock over Bethanga.
“We’ve lost in a number of close games but we have paid the penalty for not having the full side on the park in those games before Christmas.”