Panthers to ignore history

BELL Post Hill hasn’t lost a final to Bannockburn in almost a decade.

But first-year Panthers coach Brad Martin admits recent records will count for little as the teams square off in today’s qualifying final.

Martin said much had changed since the Tigers knocked Bell Post Hill out of the finals race in 2007.

“We’re such a new group,” Martin said, dismissing suggestions the Panthers would take a psychological edge into the match.

“There’s a lot of youth, energy and excitement, whereas last year the team had that older age bracket and a couple carried injuries into the game.

“But now, they’re the players who are on the outer a little bit and they have to fight those young guys for a spot. It’s very competitive for spots this year.

“It’s exciting and I know guys like Cam and Shane Lymer have noticed the energy that these young blokes have brought in. We’ve flown under the radar with our youth.”

The two teams are one apiece in 2017, with Bannockburn claiming the Round 5 clash by 14 points before Bell Post Hill won in Round 16.

“We seem to match up well,” Martin said of the rivalry. “I know we got on top of them a couple of weeks ago, but we’re not looking into that too much. We’re just focused on this week.

“We’ve worked really hard on our fitness and discipline.

“It’s the extra work we do behind the scenes and we’re pretty proud of that. I’ve been there since the beginning of the journey and I think we get an extra five or 10 per cent out of ourselves.”

The Panthers will make two forced changes for the clash, with stars Ren Lovitt and Joel Page returning.