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merrivaleThe Standard |
KARL Dwyer is playing up the importance of a Merrivale victory in the Warrnambool and District league match of the round against Allansford today.

The Tigers coach said the chance to shore up a top-three spot should motivate his players in front of their home fans at Merrivale Recreation Reserve.

His men are second with 44 points, a game and percentage clear of Allansford, but must play Panmure, Dennington and Old Collegians in the run towards finals.

Victory would most likely leave them eight points clear in second, with a finals double chance almost ensured. But defeat could open the door to a chasing pack.

“We’ve spoken about the importance of finishing top three, that was our goal at the start of the year,” Dwyer said.

“If we can win, it doesn’t guarantee that but it makes it pretty hard to lose. It’s definitely a massive game. We’ve had a pretty big focus on it to be honest.”

Exacting revenge for a nine-point defeat to Allansford in round one will also be in the forefront of the Tigers’ minds, mainly for psychological reasons.

“That’s the other thing. They were obviously too good in round one and they’ve improved since then, and we have as well,” Dwyer said.

“If we do play them in finals, it’d be nice to know you can beat them. That’s an incentive.”

Dwyer noted much had changed since the sides’ meeting in round one but said the match was a reference point to how his side could reverse the result today.

The omission of Cats gun Sam Holloway, one of the dominant players three months ago, has already played into the Tigers’ hands.

But more than that, Dwyer said his men “have to be on”. A slow start meant they had to play catch up in the season opener.

“Looking back on that game, they were there to play a little bit more than we were,” he said.

“We’ve talked about not being on the back foot and making sure we start the game well, not waiting for them to do something.”

Increasing their defensive pressure would also hold the key to victory, Dwyer said.

“Once they won the footy in our forward line they moved the footy quickly and looked pretty dangerous,” he said.

“This time around you’d think they’ll still try and do that but we’re hoping we can make things a bit more difficult for them.”

Merrivale made two changes at the selection table, adding key tall Joe Woonton and Claye Cassidy for Matt Dowd and Will Ryan.

Allansford lost Holloway, Nathan Wilson (hamstring) and Josh Monaghan (omitted) but included Matt Dwyer, Joel Cornelissen and Justin Turner.

Allansford coach Josh Parkinson said the Cats had moved on from a defeat to Panmure, the only side to complete the season double against them this season.

Parkinson likewise highlighted pressure on the ball carrier as being important. He was impressed with the 80 tackles his men laid in round one.

“Our pressure on the ball carrier caused them to turn it over and we were able to get them on the hop on the way back,” he said.

Parkinson believed the Cats’ spread of goalkickers could be a weapon. They have seven players with 15-plus goals, compared with the Tigers’ five.

“We’ve got a pretty good spread of goalkickers through our midfielders. They seem to rely on those key forwards to kick their goals,” he said.

“We’re certainly very aware of that.

“But it’s the same with every game. If you can limit the supply going forward, or affect the supply, you’re more than a good chance to win the game.”

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