WODONGA captain Sam Maher says the Bulldogs can’t afford to rely on emotion alone if they want to send coach Ben Hollands out in style this afternoon.
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Maher said he and his teammates were desperate to get a win for their outgoing mentor when they host Wangaratta Rovers.
“We’ve spoken about it internally but, at the same time, we don’t want to overdo it,” Maher said.
“He’s been super for us and it would be fitting if we could have a win.
“We just need to play to our strengths and I’m sure we’ll be in the game.”
Despite claiming two wooden-spoon seasons in his tenure as coach, Maher said Hollands would leave a strong legacy at John Flower Oval.
“The best thing about Ben is how positive he can be,” Maher said.
“Obviously things haven’t been flying and have been up and down but he always finds something for us to take out of a game.
“Some people can’t find those positives — it’s how the younger guys learn.”
The Hawks enter today’s clash at Wodonga having to win to play finals.
Maher said the Bulldogs were relishing that all the pressure was on Rovers as they sought another scalp.
“They’ve obviously got to come up to our ground and I’m sure they won’t be expecting it to be easy,” he said.
“I know Albury got us by 132 points last week but I didn’t think we were too bad for a lot of it.
“Our first half was pretty competitive.
“Hopefully, it has set us up well for this week.”