Myrtleford is looking to overcome one of the league’s most unwanted titles in Saturday night’s home clash against Wangaratta Rovers.
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If the Saints lose, it will be the fifth time in the past 10 years they’ve lost the first four games, effectively destroying any finals hopes.
“Those stats pretty much sum up what’s been happening up there,” first-year co-coach Terry Burgess said.
“(The club) just hasn’t been able to rectify it, we’re through the first month now and we’re in the same position, so we’ve just got to focus on what’s ahead and try and get four points as quickly as we can.”
Those stats pretty much sum up what’s been happening up there ... just hasn’t been able to rectify it.
- Terry Burgess
The Saints have won two of their first four games just twice in the past decade.
Myrtleford snapped the league’s longest losing streak of 62 games by toppling Corowa-Rutherglen in round one, 2011, and followed it with another against Wangaratta Rovers.
Last year, the Saints defeated North Albury and Lavington in successive weeks.
Interestingly, the club has played finals only once in that time, starting with just the one win and three losses in 2016.
The Saints’ record stands at a paltry seven wins and 32 losses in the first month, with three of those victories against top three outfits Albury (2012) and Lavington (2015, 2017).
Rovers are the only other winless side heading into round four.
Despite their records, both teams will carry some confidence into the match.
Rovers were pipped by only nine points against big improvers North Albury, while the Saints outscored Lavington in the third term last week.
“We won that quarter slightly, with the way the conditions were, we felt our effort was better,” Burgess said.
The loser will almost certainly claim the tag as wooden spoon favourites, although both clubs will fancy their chances of running down Corowa-Rutherglen (two wins) and gritty Wodonga (one).