Lavington's hopes of upsetting Albury on Saturday have hit a hurdle with Shaun Mannagh named for Richmond's VFL team.
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It's no surprise though given Mannagh's last four club games have been with the Tigers.
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Meanwhile, one of the finds of the season agrees he's expecting the fiercest contest of his career in the top of the table clash at Albury Sportsground.
"I reckon that's a fair call, they'll definitely come out hot and ready to go, I'm looking forward to it actually, it's exciting," Lavington back pocket Brad Carman said.
The Panthers smashed a listless Albury by 71 points in round two, the club's biggest loss since re-emerging as a powerhouse in 2009.
They played like men possessed, blasting 11 goals to two after quarter time to inflict Albury's lowest moment in a decade.
However the Tigers have won the last seven by an average of 72 points and that includes parting ways with coach Peter German after round four.
All good teams take a heavy loss personally and Albury is set to launch itself at the Panthers, trying to put them in their place.
Carman has been a revelation since joining from Holbrook.
He's one of three players from the Hume League in their debut season, along with former Brookers' team-mate AB Mackinlay and Brock-Burrum's Aidan Johnson.
The 184cm Carman has racked up enormous possessions from defence, often in the mid-20s.
He posted a season-high 34 against Wodonga Raiders in round three, restricting the influence of Morris medallist Brodie Filo when he moved forward.
"I'm really enjoying it, I'm liking the style of play in the O and M," he said.
"It's a lot quicker, but it's probably what I expected."
There's a number of changes from the round two clash, which was played under lights.
Lavington is without midfielder Nick Holman and forward Luke Garland.
Garland, in particular, is a massive loss because he plays that strong hit-up forward and the club doesn't have a ready-made replacement.
Meanwhile, Albury didn't have rugged on-baller Alex Jones, clever forward Jim Grills or one of the league's best in Dean Polo in the loss.
Both teams have just the one loss - Lavington fell to Wangaratta by five goals - with the Panthers holding a percentage lead of only 3.57.
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