Sport
1 July, 2023
Battered Eagles continue search for opening points
WARRACK Eagles will venture to Dimboola for their round 11 Wimmera Football League clash tomorrow looking to break their winning drought for season 2023. Turning at the halfway mark of the season last weekend, the Eagles remain winless and facing an...
WARRACK Eagles will venture to Dimboola for their round 11 Wimmera Football League clash tomorrow looking to break their winning drought for season 2023.
Turning at the halfway mark of the season last weekend, the Eagles remain winless and facing an uphill battle to find their season opening points.
And things won’t get any easier tomorrow against the fourth-placed Roos looking to maintain a winning edge and push a top three berth.
Warrack Eagles are coming off a 75-point loss to Horsham Saints last weekend, while Dimboola produced a strong performance when they accounted for Nhill by 43 points.
Injuries and unavailability have hurt the Eagles in recent weeks and last weekend’s clash with the Saints will not have helped their cause as coach Danny Bell ponders a list that will have up to eight players missing tomorrow’s clash.
With Jacob Sobey and Jake O’Donnell already missing the clash, they will be joined by Nick Ingram and Connor Inkster who will miss the next three weeks through other commitments.
Bell is also sweating on the fitness of onballer Tom James who left the field with a knee injury against Saints, while Kayden Edwards, who made his senior debut last weekend, will miss the clash after being forced from the field with a shoulder injury after a heavy collision.
Daniel Penny will miss a second week after suffering an ankle injury against Minyip-Murtoa in round nine, while Caleb Powell is still a week or two away as he recovers from a shoulder injury and defender Jake Cheney is also a couple of weeks away from a hamstring strain.
Bell is remaining upbeat with his line-up despite knowing the weekend’s challenge will be a big one for his charges.
“Yeah, we’re a bit battered and undermanned at the moment but we’ll soldier on and try and keep the spirits up,” he said.
“We’ll start getting a few back in the coming weeks but at the moment its a challenge with up to eight players missing.
“Dimboola will be a tough opponent but we’ll be looking to try some players in some different positions and see how they adjust for when we start building towards a full strength line-up.
“It will be good to see how the players adjust to the next couple of weeks and I hope they take on the challenge and meet it head on,” he said.
Bell is looking forward to blooding some more debutantes with Baiden Penny in the mix to make his senior debut against the Roos.
“Baiden is light in structure but is a fierce tackler who rarely misses a training session and will be deserved of his place,” Bell said.
Penny will follow Charlie Dean, who made his senior debut last weekend, and will also be joined by Daniel McKenzie who will return to the senior line-up after a strong showing in the seconds last weekend.
Dimboola has produced a strong season and will be a key player in the finals series with a strong line-up looking to settle into some consistent football in the coming weeks.
The Roos have produced some thrilling matches this season with recruit Aisea Raikiwasa in strong recent form teaming well with Ben Miller, Matt Rosier and Sam Gooden through the midfield, while Jono Ross, Hayden Walters and coach Jack Landt providing scoring options in attack.
The Eagles will be looking for big outings from midfielders Lachie Stewart, Declan Powell and Dylan Watts under the ruck work of Matt Johns, while Ryan McKenzie, Kyle Cheney, Riley Morrow and Bell’s experience will be vital to their youngers team-mates throughout the match.