The Bulldogs are sitting eighth on the ladder, with three wins from eight games, but have games coming up against the winless Undera (bottom of the 14-team ladder) and also face-off against Tallygaroopna - also challenging for the last spot in the finals.
Murchison-Toolamba, Lancaster, Shepparton East and Avenel look like they are locks for finals this season. Apart from their draw the top two teams are unbeaten, while Shepparton East has lost only one game and Avenel is 6-2 to this stage of the season.
Stanhope and Nagambie are the two teams that the likes of Merrigum, Tally and Longwood will be targeting for the last two spots in the finals.
Both have 5-3 win-loss records this season, equal with Tally and two ahead of Merrigum and Longwood.
On Saturday at Merrigum the Bulldogs did their best work after half time, extending a margin of 13 points at the main break to an eventual winning margin of 27 points.
They kicked 10.11, on the back of another three goals from consistent Kyabram recruit Jake Gascoyne, to comfortably account for now 11th-ranked Dookie United’s 6.8 (44).
Key defender and co-coach Darcy Collins was again best on ground for his team, while captain Zak Parkinson operates in all three quadrants of the ground to fill gaps for his team.
Matthew Macansh worked well with Gascoyne in the absence of regular key forward Matt Wild, while the mullet-clad and long sleeved Josh Catalano kicked two goals.
Ruckman Kellan Robinson continues to operate as a solo big man, while midfielder Brad Taylor and Leigh Cuthbert were other great players.
– Fresh from a fighting seven-point win a week earlier, Girgarre started its game with Longwood full of confidence and led at the first change of ends.
That one-point lead was short lived and by the long break, after a five goals to one second term, the Kangaroos trailed the Redlegs by 24 points.
In a see-sawing battle at Longwood the teams were tied at three-quarter time, Girgarre kicking six goals to Longwood’s two in another change of momentum.
Longwood, on the back of star brothers Jye and Jordan Formosa’s midfield work, took the advantage in the final term and finished with a 13.7 (85) to 12.6 (87) win.
The Kangaroos have struggled against top six teams Stanhope, Shepparton East, Nagambie and Murchison-Toolamba in the opening eight games, but have been extremely competitive in the last fortnight.
This weekend they face Lancaster in another stiff test before another set of winnable games against Violet Town (one win, sitting 13th) and Dookie United (two wins, 11th).
Byron Dryden was the Kangaroos best player again, while Ethan Palma-Ludeman was the man productive forward. Josh Marino continued his good season, with Thomas Werner played his best game of the season.
Palma-Ludeman kicked four of his team’s 12 goals and now has 10 for the season, one less than leading goalkicker Steve Phillips.
