Bairnsdale will restart its Gippsland League campaign this Saturday with a home game against a struggling Maffra.
The Redlegs would have benefitted from the week off courtesy of the bye and will likely have to make some big decisions at the selection table, with three gun players due to return from injury.
They include coach Logan Austin (hamstring), Xavier Richards (ankle) and Tom Blenheim (shoulder), though the temptation may be to err on the side of caution and take an extra week to make sure the trio are 100 per cent given Maffra’s recent dismal performances against Drouin and Wonthaggi.
Austin was injured against Traralgon in round one when goals where hard to come by. Plenty has changed in the two weeks he has been out.
Brayden McCarrey, Lachlan Byrne-Jones, Tyran Rees and Max East have provided a well-needed alternative to the coach, with injection back into the fray set to add more potency with the possibility Richards may also join him in the front six.
Maffra is a proud club and it will be looking to bounce back. The Eagles always seem to play well against the Redlegs.
Bairnsdale players and supporters don’t have to turn the clock back far to remember the Eagles’ come-from-behind win at the Bairnsdale City Oval last year when local star Nathan Pollard goaled after the siren to get Maffra home.
The Redlegs currently sit sixth on the ladder with two wins from their three matches in 2024, They are one of five teams on eight points.
They will be keen to bank another four points before they embark on tough month of football that includes matches against Moe, Warragul, Wonthaggi and the greatest of the them, Leongatha.
Not many times over the past few years the Redlegs have gone in as warm favourites, but this will be one of the occasions.
