THE Murray Bushrangers are under pressure to make the top four after going down to Gippsland Power by 29 points on Saturday.
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After dropping their last two matches, the Bushrangers and Oakleigh are set to battle it out for the bonus of having the first week of the finals off.
Gippsland led Leon Higgins’ side by 28 points midway through the second term and, although the Bushrangers rallied, the lead was too great.
Matt Walker was a strong performer through the midfield and up forward and Nick Murray held firm in a key defensive post.
In another injury blow, Jye Chalcraft injured his knee in the second term and is unlikely to play again this season.
“The players worked really hard,” Higgins said.
“We won our fair share of the footy, but we just didn’t use it well enough.
“We made too many skill errors.
“I couldn’t fault the effort, the boys were really disciplined.”
The Bushrangers closed to within 14 points late in the third quarter but missed several shots early in the final term which killed any momentum.
Liam Fiore rallied well in defence with Murray while Jordan Butts and Lachie Ash refused to concede defeat.
The Bushrangers take on Northern Knights in the final round this weekend.
Meanwhile, Yarrawonga star Ely Smith played in Collingwood’s big win over Frankston in the VFL on Sunday.
