Bairnsdale faces a tough month of football, as it strives for a sought after Gippsland League finals appearance.
The Redlegs will clash with Warragul (home), Wonthaggi (away), Leongatha (home) and Sale (away), with three victories most likely required if they are to chase their finals dream.
After last Saturday’s loss to Moe, Bairnsdale dropped to sixth on the ladder, sitting two points behind the fifth-placed Morwell, on equal points with seventh-placed Wonthaggi, a game behind the fourth-placed Sale.
The finals campaign effectively starts now.
Youngster Lachlan Cloak is expected to miss this week with injury, but the Redlegs will be hoping to include Xavier Richards for the first of a month of crunch games. Hopefully he might be finally ready to return.
Bairnsdale coach Logan Austin will be looking at focusing his players in at the challenge at hand. This week’s opponent is Warragul, which has shown it is a tough side to beat when things go right.
The Gulls accounted for Bairnsdale by 10 points in round six at Western Park, one of their four wins for the season, including an impressive recent victory over Sale.
All four of the Warragul’s wins this season have been at home, so the Redlegs at the Bairnsdale City Oval present a huge challenge for coach Jed Lamb and his team.
It’s a game the Redlegs can’t afford to loose, and if they do the finals dream will be basically over.
