Injuries will be a major concern for Stawell Westlift Warriors, when they take on Minyip-Murtoa in the Wimmera Football League tomorrow at Central Park.
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Coming off an improved performance last weekend against Horsham Saints, Stawell's confidence had risen slightly, but injuries to a couple of their star players could be their undoing.
Stawell's leading goal kicker Brenton Potter pulled up sore with a medial strain after the 40 point loss.
Chris Ford suffered a groin strain in the third term and took no further part in the match.
Coach Brad Cassidy won't take any risks with either of the two players and will give them as much time as they need to prove they're fit for tomorrow's match.
"If they need until early Saturday morning that's when I will make my final decision," Cassidy said.
Last time the two teams met Minyip-Murtoa won by a 17 goal margin, but had Stawell kicked straight, the score wouldn't have looked quite so bad.
Clinton Midgely, a power forward of the competition, bagged nine goals in their last outing, so Stawell has been forced to change tactics in how they defend him.
"I've been working with Jorah Margetson the last couple of weeks. He will probably be the best option to start with Clinton," Cassidy said.
"He needs time to develop into a defender, but athletically he matches up with the best of them."
Margetson will also rotate through the ruck to nullify Kieran Delahunty's impact on the game.
"Liam (Nuske), Shane (Field) and Jorah will each go through the middle at some stage," Cassidy said.
"We really need to work him over by winning the tap outs. Our bigger players need to throw their weight around a bit and really use their bodies."
Minyip-Murtoa have had two nailbiting finishes in their most recent encounters, going down by one point to both Horsham Saints and Warracknabeal.
"Their form still suggests they are playing good football, even if they aren't getting the results," Cassidy said.
"We just have to take confidence from our improvement last week and keep working at it. It will come down to who plays better on the day."
Stawell's focus at training was to be able to finish what Cassidy described as the 'red time footy' which is the final few minutes of each quarter.
In last week's game Stawell had a momentary lapse with just minutes left in the first half and gave up their two goals lead.
"We need to be able to kick one or two at the end of the quarter to finish the quarter strongly," Cassidy said.
Stawell will welcome back young defender David Morris who will provide run and leadership from the half back flank.
Cassidy stressed to his players that it didn't matter who was or wasn't playing tomorrow, the effort and intent from last week needs to be there.
It is hoped that Stawell will play in front of a much bigger crowd than previous weeks after a good showing last week.
If Stawell players fails to apply themselves, it could be another tough day at the office.