Saints to provide

If there is a team coming into Wimmera Football League finals boasting an x-factor then it is hard to look past Horsham Saints.

The Saints, based on their past month of hectic home-and-away football, also certainly rate as more than a finals dark horse.

Horsham Saints have had an up and down season due to injuries and player unavailability through pathway commitments and have done exceptionally well to finish where they have on the ladder.

This has happened despite team leaders, week in and week out, having the tough job of trying to establish a stable and settled side.

It has taken a quality mix in leadership to get the equation right.

Coach Luke Fisher, apart from his obvious ballwinning abilities, has provided on-field leadership and direction for the team and at the same time has had former premiership mastermind Shayne Breuer running an efficient bench.

Outside observers can clearly see the influence and strengths of both of these leaders, with Fisher one of the stars of the competition and now playing with freedom after knee trouble, and Breuer applying his wealth of footy knowledge through a clipboard.

The Saints have been an enigma. One week they have beat a highly credentialed team such as the Southern Mallee Giants, the next they have struggled to kick a winning score against a team they should overcome easily.

But this is a team that is now hitting its straps at the right time of the season.