Bendigo Advertiser | No-one was happier to see the back of June than Pyramid Hill coach Brad Fawcett.
The Bulldogs entered the month with a 4-2 record and they sat comfortably in the top five.
The month of June wasn’t kind – four-straight defeats and the Bulldogs are back in a four-team pack chasing the final two places in the top five.
On Saturday they face fourth-placed Marong in a game that will go a long way to shaping both club’s finals aspirations.
“It’s been a tough month for us, playing against some good teams and having a few injuries at the same time,’’ Fawcett said on Friday.
“We get a couple of players back from injury this week which is handy and then we should get another four or five back after the bye.”
Brad Fawcett
The Panthers sit one game ahead of the Bulldogs after 11 rounds.
“We’ve gone from vying for a top three spot to just trying to hold on to a spot in the five,’’ Fawcett said.
“Beating the teams around us is really important, so to get the four points against Marong would be big for us going into the bye.”
Marong defeated Pyramid Hill by four goals in round three, but that was the game that Brendan Fevola played for the Panthers.
“We played good footy for three quarters that day, but we had one quarter where Marong got on top of us and set up the win,’’ Fawcett said.
“We match-up pretty well against them on most lines. Having no Fev there probably means they will be more unpredictable going forward, so we will have to prepare for that.”
A key advantage for the Bulldogs will be their return to home turf – three of the club’s four wins this year have been at Pyramid Hill.
“We like to think we’ve got a side that sets up well for the bigger ground,’’ Fawcett said.
“We like to run and spread because we’re not the tallest side going around. The more we can get the ball on the ground and use our leg speed, the more advantage we’ll have on Saturday.”
While the Pyramid Hill versus Newbridge game commands the most attention in round 12, the YCW versus Newbridge clash is just as intriguing.
The Eagles upstaged the Maroons in round three, but Newbridge appears to have turned the corner in recent weeks and can’t afford to drop the four points if it’s to maintain its charge towards the top five.
In other games, flag favourite Bridgewater should continue on its merry way when it travels down the highway to Inglewood, while third-placed Calivil United could move into second place on percentage if it has a big win over the winless Bears-Lagoon Serpentine.