Both clubs have lost one game this year — Rye defeated Red Hill by two points with a kick after the siren in Round 4, and Dromana fell to Crib Point by a point in Round 3.

Red Hill coach Tony Blackford said today’s encounter shaped as a season-defining game.

“Dromana is obviously the team to beat,” Blackford said.

“They’re last year’s premiers and they’ve done nothing wrong again this year.

“But we’re happy with where we’re at as well.”

Blackford, who has coached senior flags at Berwick, Frankston Bombers and Sorrento, joined the Hillmen this year faced with the challenge of reigniting a club that had finished outside finals for the past three years.

He has made no secret of his desire for Red Hill to win back the respect of its opponents.

“At the start of the year everyone has ambitions to play finals, and ours were exactly the same,” Blackford said.

“I knew if we could get ourselves super fit that we would make the inroads.”

The Hillmen secured former VFL players Michael Dillon (Port Melbourne) and Nick Bateman (Frankston Dolphins), Frankston YCW premiership players Blake McCormack and Paul Wintle and key forward Jared Eames from Karingal to boost their playing stocks this year.

But Blackford said Red Hill’s existing players, including defenders Harry Larwill and Michael Mock, had fuelled the club’s improvement.

“As good as all those recruits have been, and they’ve all played their roles, the biggest improvement at the club has come from within,” he said.

“The local guys have embraced everything we’re trying to do.”

Blackford said the Hillmen would use the wide open spaces of the Red Hill Showgrounds to help combat Dromana’s height advantage today.

“We don’t have a lot of height, so we need to be able to run and carry the ball and make sure we use it well,” he said.

“We need to make good decisions, we need to make sure we run and spread and don’t kick down the line to packs.”