Border Mail |
ALBURY has been dealt a cruel blow as it prepares for another blockbuster, with injury-riddled utility Michael Thompson suffering another hamstring strain in the dying stages of Saturday’s 10-point loss to Yarrawonga.
Thompson, who restricted Brendan Fevola to just three goals in a surprise match-up on Saturday, won’t play against Lavington this week.
Albury co-coach Daniel Maher admitted it was another frustrating blow for Thompson, who highlighted his ability in defence at the weekend.
“It’s been his downfall for the past couple of years,” Maher said.
“It happened right on red-time in the last quarter.
“Obviously it’s going to affect us a bit, structurally.
“He was really productive for us and kept Fev on a bit of a leash, which you’ve got to try and do because he can certainly turn a game on its head as we’ve all seen before.”
Thompson shaped as a useful match-up against Lavington this week, with the Panthers relying on medium-sized targets like Myles Aalbers, Adam Flagg, Luke Garland and Joel Hartley, rather than traditional power-forwards.
Meanwhile, Maher said it was virtually impossible to anticipate whether the Tigers would have a mental hangover this week after yet another taxing build-up and contest against the Pigeons.
However, Maher said the Tigers would be firmly reminded about their standing in the competition in the lead up to the clash at Albury Sportsground.
Lavington had a hard-fought 35-point win over Wodonga on Saturday.
“This footy club doesn’t lose two in a row and that’s our big emphasis this week,” Maher said.
“We’ll put this game against Yarra to bed now and focus on Lavington.
“It’s going to be a cracker.
“Lavington are flying and they like to play us at our ground with their press.”
Maher applauded his charges’ effort on Saturday but said it ultimately wasn’t good enough.
“We spoke during the week about getting 21 guys playing a role and we certainly did that in patches,” he said.
“But we needed to bring our A-game for two hours.
“You’ve got to sustain your effort against this side.
“We had some impressive things but in the end a 10-point loss is a 10-point loss.”
