Bairnsdale will travel to Morwell, and if the Tigers can play like they did in the second half of their match against Leongatha, they will be in with a chance.
Adrian Fazioli could return and Tom Crosby could be given the job of looking after Bairnsdale’s star forward James Gibbs.
Former Maffra player Cam Streeter has been in fine form for the Redlegs and gave his side a lot of drive from half-back last week.
This will be a close match and neither side can afford to drop this game.
Traralgon v Moe
Traralgon is expected to bounce back this week to beat arch rivals Moe, after receiving a drubbing at the hands of Bairnsdale.
The Maroons have been on the end of two consecutive heavy losses, and are suffering with a number of serious injuries.
Josh Jennings indicated he may bring in another three youngsters to blood them in senior football.
Traralgon is also feeling the effects of its recent success, losing several players to the Gippsland Power and VFL teams.
Last week Jennings brought in three first-gamers Tim Hendricksen, Rohan Hildebrand and Ben Northover, with Hildebrand and Northover being among Traralgon’s best players.
The Maroons will be without Nic Quenault and Tom McQualter who have hamstring problems and there is some doubt surrounding Michael Geary’s condition.
Danny Campbell is out for the next two matches after receiving a three match suspension for an on-field incident against Leongatha.
Moe hopes to have full-back Kane Airdrie available after being rested last week with leg soreness, while Stuart Robertson will not be back for another week.
Ryan Donaldson will be unavailable for Moe, but Peter Yates has been in good form up forward with seven goals in the past two weeks and will hopefully be able to put his best foot forward this week.
Despite the past two weeks, Traralgon should be able to get its season back on track this week.
Wonthaggi v Sale
Sale is in terrific form and faces a dangerously close match against Wonthaggi Power.
The Power has won their past two against Bairnsdale and Moe while the Magpies are undefeated.
It will be interesting to see if the Power recalls Earl Shaw who booted three goals at full forward in the Reserves last week.
This year they look great and it will take more than Wonthaggi’s home ground advantage to stop them from winning this week.
Maffra v Leongatha
Leongatha travels to Maffra and the undefeated Parrots will be hoping to keep their unbeaten record in tact.
Leongatha are playing an exciting brand of football, but Maffra will punish the side if its turnover rate is too high.
Leongatha has lost its last 22 games against the Eagles, but Will Thursfield has given the Parrots a new lease on life so it is certain to be a competitive match.
Drouin v Warragul
On Sunday Drouin host Warragul in a local derby with Drouin having won 65 of their 80 encounters, but this record has not diminished Warragul’s appetite for a fierce contest.
The Gulls are starting to reap the rewards of their rebuilding program and are becoming more competitive.
Ben Hughes has made a difference to the Gulls and the veteran Matt Gray is also doing extremely well.
Warragul have the chance to end Drouin’s dominance over them and score its second successive win for the season.
