Boomers go into Sunday’s clash with the inconsistent Diamonds wary of their opponents and their hot and cold form.
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![MUST WIN: Andrew Grove said they can't afford any slip-ups when they play the up and down Diamonds on Sunday. Picture: MATTHEW SMITHWICK MUST WIN: Andrew Grove said they can't afford any slip-ups when they play the up and down Diamonds on Sunday. Picture: MATTHEW SMITHWICK](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/5Ez3DD3z2sySqu3585HVSE/47cccf33-0e88-404d-8a56-7830316b3cdd.jpg/r11_87_4907_2774_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
![BACK IN GOALS: The return of Matt Mildren after a month corresponded with Boomers come from behind win over Twin City last week. BACK IN GOALS: The return of Matt Mildren after a month corresponded with Boomers come from behind win over Twin City last week.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/5Ez3DD3z2sySqu3585HVSE/e9d537fa-c02f-4b54-9195-054bb38cf172.jpg/r0_335_3061_1842_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The reigning Cup champions are languishing in sixth spot, well out of contention for the league title.
After defeating one of the competition favourites, Wangaratta 2-0, Diamonds then lost 3-0 to eighth placed Melrose and were flogged 10-1 by Myrtleford.
Last week they were forced to come from 2-0 down to beat Hotspurs.
But Boomers coach Andrew Grove is not reading much into the formline.
“They still have some great players,” he said.
“This is the tightest competition we’ve seen in recent years.
“In the past there has been two sides that were on top of the table from the outset, generally had that edge.
“But this year there are at least five teams with legitimate title claims.”
Diamonds keeper Cam McCormack admitted they’d been below par recently.
“In our defence we had a lot of players missing in the game against Myrtleford and have struggled to put the same line-up on the pitch two weeks in a row,” he said.
“Steve Currie came back in last week but Mason Nhansana is still two weeks away and Jesse Stephens will come back in as well.
“Obviously we can’t win the league championship but we are starting to get players back and now we have re-set our goal to win a third consecutive Cup.”
Grove said slow starts had plagued their season and couldn’t be tolerated at this stage of the year.
“As a group we have been talking about slow starts all season, it has been a common thread to our year,” he said.
“And it’s not only the slow starts but the fact that we have given up goals.”
Boomers midfielder Adam Campbell and young gun Tom Kirwan are expected to miss Sunday’s clash.
Grove denies that depth is their Achilles heel.
“Adam has a rib injury he has carried for a few weeks and needs some time off and Kirwan has a suspected broken toe but we are yet to get a final call on the extent of that injury,” he said.
“We don’t have a problem with depth, we have the quality but the key has been that they have been young players, good players but they take time to adjust to the speed and physicality at this level.”