Having sat in the top two for the entirety of the season, Mulwala suddenly finds itself vulnerable after a pair of crushing losses to Cobram and Tongala prior to the bye.
And it doesn’t get any easier for coach Rohan Davies and his troops this weekend, as they make the long road trip west to face a Moama side breathing down their necks in third place.
In what is set to be a season-defining clash, Davies said his team was excited for the challenge.
“It will be good (to get back out there), obviously looking at the ladder you can see how important it is with so many teams fighting for a top two spot,” Davies said.
“We’ve had a few key injuries with guys that will start to come back over the next week or two which will be good, but overall we are just excited and having matched up well against them in the past we have a bit of confidence.
“If we’re fair dinkum about it these are the games we just have to win.”
The second meeting between the two sides this season, the Lions were far too good for the Magpies back in round seven, triumphing by 70 points on their home deck.
But with such a different team set to take the field this weekend, Davies said he was expecting a much closer contest.
“It’s good that the last time we played them we took care of them pretty comfortably, but recently we have had a fair horror run with injury and illness,” he said.
“So coming off the bye it is more about just getting some balance back into the side, we know Moama will be well and truly up for it and it’s going to be tough.”
Moama on the other hand will have redemption on its mind, as it comes into this clash on the back of a solid patch of form before the bye.
Coach Sam Sheldon said his side had been itching for another shot at the Lions following the disappointment of round seven.
“They gave us an absolute hiding last time over in Mulwala so our guys are looking forward to getting a bit of respect there,” Sheldon said.
“Back on our home deck we are very excited for the challenge, we’ve improved a lot this year so for us it is about continuing on that trajectory and playing our footy week in and week out.
“If we do that the wins and losses will take care of themselves.”
In terms of where he believes the game will be won and lost, Sheldon said it would be all about limiting the supply to Mulwala’s dangerous forward line.
“They play a good pressure brand of footy, they are big bodies and some big forwards,” he said.
“So we just have to match them in the physical aspect and then be clean with the ball on the outside — if we do that it will go a long way to us winning the game.”
In team news, Lions co-coach Jackson Gash will make his much-anticipated return, while Lachie Hogan will be missing from the Moama line-up.
Around the grounds, Cobram will be looking to continue its Murray League rampage as it welcomes a resurgent Nathalia side.
After an 0-4 start to the year, the five-time reigning premiers have hit their stride over the past five weeks and make the trip north confident they can come away with yet another upset victory.
Tongala will be looking to continue the strong form it showed in its big win against Mulwala as it welcomes Deniliquin Rams for a pivotal top-six clash.
A return to the winners’ list will be front of mind for sixth-placed Congupna as it faces an Echuca United side still riding the high of its first victory of the season a fortnight ago.
Nothing but a win will suffice for Numurkah as it faces a struggling Barooga outfit.
Rumbalara rounds out the weekend’s action with a clash against Finley.
11°C