Myrtleford co-coach Jake Sharp to miss another six to eight with ankle

The inspirational leader suffered the injury in a practice match against Lavington on March 6.

"I had a specialist appointment on Friday and it's probably another six to eight maybe," he revealed just after Saturday night's loss to Wangaratta.

"Things are moving in the right direction and I've avoided surgery."

Sharp tore the deltoid ligament, which plays a vital role in ankle joint stability.

However, the news is more positive on another of the Saints' profile players after Kurt Aylett missed the Wangaratta game.

"He just experienced a bit of hamstring awareness, so it was precautionary not to play him," Sharp said.

"He'll be right for this week."

The Saints are involved in one of two blockbusters this weekend.

Myrtleford hosts Lavington in a re-match of the last preliminary final on Saturday night.

Lavington won that game by 21 points, before upsetting Wangaratta in the decider.

The pair is again expected to battle fiercely for a top three finish so even though it's only early in the season, a win could prove crucial to those plans.

Meanwhile, Wangaratta is away to Wangaratta Rovers on Sunday.

The duo boasts the league's fiercest rivalry and both sit in the top five, which hasn't happened often over the past decade.

"What a great spectacle it will be for our community, hopefully the city can get right behind the footy and netball and we have a massive crowd," Wangaratta coach Dean Stone said.

"It will be a great contest, they've got some really good players, they move the ball really well and they're slick."

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The star-studded Wangaratta will start favourites, as it will every week, and the forecast is promising with a partly cloudy day and 20 degrees.

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