MOTIVATED: Wangaratta coach Judd Porter will be sure to have his charges fired up to produce their best football against Myrtleford at the Norm Minns Oval tomorrow. PHOTO: Marc Bongers
Written by JEREMY WILSON.
IT has been a long two weeks for Wangaratta but it will finally get the chance to move on from its devastating derby loss to archrival Wangaratta Rovers tomorrow when it hosts bottom side Myrtleford.
The Magpies suffered their first loss to the Hawks since 2006 when they went down by 22 points at the WJ Findlay Oval in a match that was basically over at quarter time.
After completely outclassing the Rovers in their first meeting this year, the Magpies were powerless to stop the Hawks this time around as Jesse Silver and Brendan Sessions combined for all six goals kicked in the first term.
The loss deeply hurt the Magpies and coach Judd Porter said the side was looking forward to playing Myrtleford to get its season back on a winning note.
"It’s not nice carrying a loss over the weekend off," Porter said.
"But it has given us a good chance to reflect and move on.
"We have to put in a good performance now and bounce back as strong as we can."
Having lost to the Hawks, Wangaratta now finds itself a game and percentage behind its archrival in the race for the final position in the top five.
That is why the Magpies must not only win tomorrow, but try to win by as much as they can to get their percentage up over 100.
"It will depend on results for us now, but all we can do is control things at our end and see where that takes us," Porter said.
Helping that cause would be the inclusions of Matt Kelly, David Thayer and Leigh Symons, who all missed the derby due to injury.
Kelly missed with general soreness and is considered a good chance to return while Thayer has struggled with hamstring and calf problems for much of the year and may be sidelined again.
Symons is again unlikely to play as he continues to struggle with a persistent knee injury, however, he will be doing everything in his power to get back to full fitness.
Before the derby, Wangaratta’s first half performances have been on par with that of the top teams and its second quarter performance against Lavington where it kicked nine goals showed its firepower.
Dale Whelan looked good against the Hawks but struggled to find his range, Jarrod Hayse was well beaten while Luke Mullins played under duress.
Myrtleford has shown at times this season its improvement by sticking with sides for periods of the match, which is why a strong start tomorrow is crucial for the Magpies.
If the likes of Daine Porter, Jamie Allan and Brendan Liddell can get plenty of the ball early and give Whelan and Hayse plenty of opportunities then the game could open up for the Magpies.
But if they get into a slog with the Saints the game could become low-scoring, and with wet weather predicted, this would be what Myrtleford coach Stan Magro would be hoping for.
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