Lavington stunned it had Shaun Mannagh available against Saints

Mannagh played 16 games for the Panthers in their stunning surge to the 2019 grand final, kicking five goals and claiming the Did Simpson Medal in the upset over Wangaratta.

He was aligned to VFL outfit Richmond but when he joined Werribee two months later, it was generally thought the Panthers would rarely see him as the club isn't linked with an AFL outfit.

The VFL starts this weekend, but Mannagh will instead hit the road to Myrtleford.

"He hasn't got a game down there this week," Lavington football operations manager Vince Jones said.

"This is a big surprise to us of course, we didn't expect too many games out of him.

"We thought we might have got him for Easter, but he played a practice match."

Mannagh ran the water and worked the bench during Lavington's win over Yarrawonga at Mulwala over Easter.

The classy on-baller's inclusion could prove the difference in what's expected to be a tight game against another finals contender, which will be desperate to bounce back after a 66-point loss to Wangaratta.

Likewise, Mannagh will be determined to impress to grab a spot for Werribee.

"It just depends how he performs up here to see how many games he gets down there," Jones added.

Despite his presence against the Saints, Lavington will still be banking on Mannagh playing only limited games in the Ovens and Murray.

However, if he was to spend an extended time in the league, it would push the Panthers into near top three certainties.

The addition of Mannagh adds enormous firepower to the midfield, which already boasts top-liner Marty Brennan, the pacy Nico Sedgwick and the ever-reliable Tom Hargreave.

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The match starts at 6pm.

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