WEDDERBURN coach Tom Metherell is confident finals football remains in reach for the Redbacks after a big win over Charlton last Saturday.
His side is fifth, two games and percentage behind fourth-placed Sea Lake Nandaly and three games behind fierce rival Boort.
Despite that gap Metherell says Wedderburn has shown its best “is good enough to match it with any team” and the side has hit form at the right time.
This weekend is a bye for the North Central competition, after which the Redbacks face unbeaten Birchip Watchem and winless Donald before a critical clash with Boort.
They also have a crucial match against Sea Lake.
While playing the top teams presents a massive challenge, Metherell says “if you want to be in the finals you have to beat these sides”.
The 112-point win over Charlton could have been much bigger, with the Redbacks having 21 scoring shots to the Navies’ nine.
Spearhead Mitch Jensen kicked 10 for Wedderburn, the second time he has reached double figures this season.
Sixteen-year-old debutant Aaron Smith kicked three goals as a small forward but may not hold his place in the side with several senior players set to return after the break.
“He’s only a small kid, so it depends on what our situation is. We’ve got four blokes to come back,” Metherell said.
“Aaron played a few games in the pre-season and showed a lot of talent, and he’s been playing under-17s and then reserves most weeks.”
Jye Mortlock was named Wedderburn’s best against Charlton, along with Noah Furlong and Jensen.
Pies enter
tough stretch
BOORT has begun a stretch of four tough matches in a row with a narrow loss to reigning North Central premiers Sea Lake Nandaly.
The Magpies face Calder United, unbeaten Birchip Watchem, and traditional rivals Wedderburn in the three matches after the league bye this coming weekend, a run that will test their credentials in the lead up to the finals.
Last Saturday’s defeat reversed the result from earlier in the season when Boort beat the Tigers by eight points at home.
It was one of two matches which coach Dale Cameron missed with illness.
Sitting third on the ladder, Boort is now just a game ahead of the Tigers, with an inferior percentage, and three matches ahead of the Redbacks in fifth.
Four goals on the trot saw Sea Lake jump the Magpies after Boort kicked the first goal of the match, with a 19-point margin at the first change proving pivotal in the win.
Boort fought back strongly to trail by just a point at half-time after hitting the lead late in the term but could only manage five behinds in the third quarter to Sea Lake’s 3.2.
The Magpies outscored their opponents in the final term but fell 11 points short after closing to within four points at the nine-minute mark.
The ultra consistent Jhye Baddeley-Kelly kicked four goals for Boort, taking his tally to 59 for the season.
Only once has he kicked fewer than three goals in a game.
Matt Austin and Keiren Wilson also impressed for Boort, while Feeny medallist Wade Donnan and Adam Pattison were best for Sea Lake.