General News
2 August, 2024
Tom to troops: We can do this
WEDDERBURN enters Saturday’s crunch game against North Central league leaders Birchip Watchem full of confidence. The clash will go a long way towards deciding whether the Redbacks play finals in 2024. Newly re-appointed coach Tom Metherell was...
WEDDERBURN enters Saturday’s crunch game against North Central league leaders Birchip Watchem full of confidence.
The clash will go a long way towards deciding whether the Redbacks play finals in 2024.
Newly re-appointed coach Tom Metherell was bullish this week on Wedderburn’s prospects, despite a tough run that sees them face teams currently in first, fifth and third spots on the ladder in the last three rounds
The Redbacks are fourth, half a game ahead of Nullawil, which faces Boort this week and then has a season-defining match against Wedderburn.
“There’s no better way than finding your best form against the better sides,” Metherell said on Tuesday.
“You have got to go in every week with confidence. If not, expectations are not where they should be.”
The last time Wedderburn and Birchip met in round seven, it was a draw. This week the Redbacks will have only one senior player unavailable, with Mackenzie Smith sidelined by concussion protocols.
“It’s a headache in terms of selection, but it’s a good headache,” Metherell said.
As a first-time coach, he said he had never had to face such selection dilemmas but he had confidence in his coaching group to make the right decisions.
“As a group we meet throughout the week and watch footage of our games, and we also watch a lot of opposition footage,” Metherell said.
Sea Lake Nandaly’s one-point loss to Donald last week saw the Tigers lose first place to Birchip, but Metherell believed Sea Lake was still the team to beat.
He expected former Adelaide and Geelong forward Josh Jenkins to play most weeks for the rest of the season, and last season’s league best-and-fairest Trent Donnan is set to return to the seniors from a broken leg sustained over the summer.
While finals football was on the horizon, Metherell said his team was focused on the immediate future.
“Obviously you look at the other results and what you have got coming up, but you can’t really look further than the next match.”
The top two places on the ladder will go to Birchip Watchem and Sea Lake Nandaly – but in what order?
Both have a bye in the last three rounds, with the Tigers set for a percentage boost on Saturday against winless Charlton.
Donald, sitting third, has notionally an easier draw than either Wedderburn or Nullawil, facing Charlton, then Boort and the Redbacks in what shapes as an epic final round.