Stawell riding momentum
Horsham and Stawell are lining up for a big game on Saturday in Wimmera league senior football as the season nears the halfway mark.
Horsham is well-rested after a bye in round seven and Stawell will enter round eight on the high of its third win.
Stawell coach Tom Eckel said Saturday was a positive day for the whole club.
“It was good to get a win against Warrack Eagles, which takes the weight off our shoulders going into our last game before we have two weeks off,” he said.
“We had a tough start to the season against Ararat, Minyip-murtoa and Southern Mallee Giants, but have gained a bit of confidence from the three wins since then.
“The bye and long weekend have come at a good time for us to have a spell at the halfway point of the season.
“The Demons are a different team to last year, so we will be going hard into Saturday.”
Eckel said across the list, his team had been reasonably consistent.
“Jackson Dark has been most consistent in the backline and Mitch Thorpe, who took mark of the year in round seven, is kicking goals and flying in our forward line,” he said.
Horsham coach Tyler Blake said while the season had been tough with only one win to date, there were positives to come from the first half of the season.
“Our main focus is developing players from under-17s who are stepping into seniors,” he said.
“We are building a plan that helps us win games with a young team.
“Against Dimboola, Minyip-murtoa and Ararat in patches, we have shown that we can play well.
“We just need it consistently over four quarters, and that comes with experience and working under pressure.”
Blake said going forward, the Demons would have a more stable team.
“We finished on a high with a win before our bye,” he said.
“So far, we’ve had two or three players out each week with injuries and being away, but we can only get better with some stability going forward.
“We are getting stronger each week and moving towards stringing more wins together in the second half of the year.”
Blake said every week, the young 16 to 20 year-olds were stepping up and playing well.
“Hudson Hair in full-back has consistently been in the best and at only 19 to 20 years-old, he has been a standout,” he said.
“Benjamin Janetzki in the midfield is only in his second year of seniors and has taken a step up this season, too.”
After hanging on to a win against Dimboola, Horsham Saints will have to back it up against a formidable Ararat unit.
Minyip-murtoa will get a confidence boost if it defeats Nhill this weekend going into a bye during the long weekend.
Southern Mallee Giants will look to retain their top-five standing when facing Warrack Eagles on Saturday.