Myrtleford quiet achiever not sure if he'll play on, due to study

Myrtleford's Blake Parker has produced a number of strong performances, tagging Wangaratta star Matt Kelly and boom Lavington midfielder-cum-forward Shaun Mannagh in recent weeks.

"I don't mind it, it gets me into the game and it's worked pretty well so far," he said.

Parker went head-to-head with Mannagh, with the Morris Medal fancy racking up 23 disposals.

"He's pretty quick off the mark (laughs), he got me good there, but it wasn't too bad," he said.

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The 23-year-old is originally from Werribee, but spent two and a half years with the defence force in Western Australia.

He moved to the Border in November last year and will graduate from his medic course in mid-2020.

And it's those study commitments which could curtail any football plans.

"I'm still tossing up whether to play next year or not," he offered.

"But I'm in my peak years, I think I've finally got the fitness and started to play the role for the team and Jakey's (coach Jake Sharp) been loving it."

Sharp will be keen for Parker to continue as he's an inspirational player with his ferocious attack on the ball.

And he'll need more of that when the Saints travel to Albury on Saturday.

Neither team can move on the ladder, with the Tigers preparing for a qualifying final clash against Wangaratta in a re-match of the past two grand finals, while Myrtleford will tackle the elimination final.

"We've had two really good weeks against two really good teams, I think if we're competitive this week it gives us good form going into the finals," he said.

The Saints fell to Wangaratta by 19 points and were pipped by eight in last week's thriller against Lavington.

"We probably just have to work on finishing in front of goal," defender Brady Sharp said.

"I think we've given ourselves enough chances to put teams away throughout the whole year and we probably lacked a bit of polish.

"Obviously having Lachie Dale and Ryley's (brother Ryley Sharp) also in good form the last few weeks, there's been a definite improvement and with Brad Murray back that will add a bit of clutch up forward to kick some goals."

Murray returned in reserves after missing a month with a groin complaint.

Meanwhile, the Tigers have lost Daniel Cross with AFL commitments, Chris Hyde is out with soreness, while Jake Page has a leg injury.

Best and fairest Jake Gaynor has been named, although he was still suffering blurred vision midweek.