SITTING two points outside the top five Churchill will return home to Gaskin Park to take on Traralgon Tyers United in round 11 of North Gippsland football.
It has been lean pickings for the Cougars who have come off two losses against Heyfield and Cowwarr.
Churchill held handy leads before failing to find a way to get the job done when it mattered.
This round will be of special significance for the Cougars with the club assisting the Crocka Foundation in launching the inaugural ‘Crocka Cup’ in honour of club legend, and 259-gamer, David ‘Crocka’ Williams.
A Crocka Medal will also be awarded for each grades’ best on ground player.
Williams died from cardiac arrest on the 1 January 2011 at the age of 35.
Having worn the number 13 guernsey during his career, Williams’ Chris, and Churchill senior captain, will wear the guernsey on Saturday when he is joined by teammates and TTU players in honouring his father’s memory.
Churchill claimed the honours against TTU in the past two meeting and can ill afford to fall further away from the pack.
Gormandale v Woodside
GORMANDALE will be confident it can reverse a round two, 44-point loss to Woodside, with the Tigers showing patches of impressive form over the past month.
Woodside has endured an indifferent four weeks on the fixture.
The Wildcats had taken all before them earlier in the seasons, but many may feel Woodside is battle weary with the side winning just one of its past four, including the team’s surprise defeat at the hands of Boisdale/Briagolong on Sunday.
Saturday provides Woodside with an opportunity to take breath and reclaim its early season form before a tough run to finals.
Boisdale/Briagolong v Sale City
BOISDALE/Briagolong made an impression on the opposition with a competitive performance against Woodside which secured its third victory.
In comparison, Sale City exploded out of the blocks in an impressive opening quarter against Glengarry before fading out of the contest.
This week the Dogs will be further challenged when the evolving side is pitted against the Bombers.
The young pups, who continue to blood thirds players into the lineup, will meet another developing young side with the baby Bombers expected to play a tight brand of football on their home turf.
Glengarry v Heyfield
The contest between seventh-placed Glengarry and ladder leaders Heyfield promises plenty.
Renowned for their tough ruthless clashes, both sides will be aware they can ill afford to allow the opposition a sniff or the game may be over by half-time.
Heyfield will be out to avoid back-to-back losses, while the Glengarry has chalked up four consecutive victories.
Rosedale v Cowwarr
For the second time in as many seasons Rosedale has claimed the scalp of Heyfield twice during the home and away season.
This week the Blues will need to refocus when they host Cowwarr who kept its finals pulse beating with a gutsy come-from-behind victory against Churchill.
The Saints went into the game with a 5-4 win-loss record and needed a win to keep in touch with the top five.
The Saints are one of several teams with confident claims of a finals berth.
The Blues have demonstrated continued improvement while the Saints have taken all before them after a slow start to the season.
Little separates the two sides on paper, with this evident by the four-point margin in their round two clash.
Rosedale’s defensive pressure is going to have a significant bearing on whether the Saints continue their winning run after this weekend.
The Saints’ forward line structure is a solid unit which boasts many avenues to goals, with league-leading goal kicker Tim Johnston to be closely guarded by the Blues’ back six.
With both sides’ end of season ambitions weighing heavily on the result, spectators are set to expect a tight contest which may be decided by the side whose backline takes control of the match from the opening bounce.
