![Yarrawonga coach Mark Whiley (centre) has been his club's best player and he will want pressure like this from his players against Myrtleford. Yarrawonga coach Mark Whiley (centre) has been his club's best player and he will want pressure like this from his players against Myrtleford.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/andrew.moir/e797994e-8cc7-4d7e-bcf6-b08d129eabb7.jpg/r22_0_4976_3317_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Yarrawonga is looking to improve its effort areas against Myrtleford in Saturday's crucial clash.
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The Pigeons are the only team to have lost all four games.
The club went into the season with realistic finals goals and is desperate to break its drought in the first genuine home game at JC Lowe Oval.
The Pigeons have an annual game at nearby Mulwala every Easter.
"It'd be nice to touch our home deck properly, everyone loves playing at home," defender Logan Morey offered.
"We hate losing in general, but we definitely hate losing at home."
Yarrawonga is in its worst slump since racking up four straight losses over late 2004-early 2005.
But it would take a major form reversal to overcome the Saints and in-form Wangaratta Rovers in successive weeks.
"We just have lapses where our effort drops off," Morey explained.
"We all accept skill errors, but one thing we talk about a lot is we won't accept our effort dropping off, especially in a year like this where so many teams have improved because you can really leak goals and that's what's happening to us."
Yarrawonga was missing experienced trio Tyler Bonat, Xavier Leslie and Sam Schulz in the 21-point loss to Wodonga Raiders last week and they're still out, with debutants Will Wheaton, Jackson Meade and Joel O'Dwyer tackling the Saints.
Like all battling clubs, the Pigeons will look to their seasoned campaigners in ball magnet coach Mark Whiley, ruckman Lach Howe and former VFL star Leigh Masters to lead the way, while Morey was outstanding against Lavington.
"It's about getting momentum back quickly, when you sense another team's gaining the momentum, you have to get it back as quickly as you can," Morey suggested.
"When our effort drops off, it stops us doing that (regaining the initiative) as quickly as we would like.
"We played the footy we know we can play in that third quarter (against Raiders) and we got right back into it.
"We are probably facing down the barrel of going nought and six, eventually the wheel will turn for us, we've just got to make it turn."
A desperate Yarrawonga has always been a daunting sight, but Myrtleford is already involved in a fierce battle for a top three position and a shock loss to a team outside the top five could derail those hopes.
IN OTHER NEWS:
The Saints will miss the suspended Elijah Wales, but with the Sharp siblings - Ryley and Brady - in top form in attack and defence respectively, along with former VFL midfielder Matt Munro playing his best game in a five-star display against Lavington, the Saints will start strong favourites.
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