The Bats have had a hard go of it through 2026.

After finishing the last two seasons in the finals, Goorambat find themselves on the lower end of the senior football ladder with seven rounds left to play.

Between long-term injuries, falling player numbers, and a few unlucky results, the Bats sit two runs off the bottom of the pile.

Coach Jamie Dunne said while they’ve been on the wrong end of more than a few results, there was still hope burning within the playing group.

“It’s been very up and down, depending on what team we have out there on the park every week,” he said.

“It’s just injuries, we’ve had two ACLs, a couple of shoulders - we get three blokes back in but three blokes go out with injuries, that’s the story at the moment.

“It’s a good competition this year though, everyone you come up against is doing really well, whereas normally you’d have those three or four teams you knew you could go in and probably have a win, but not this year.

“It’s [morale] actually really good, to be fair, we’ve been doing a few different things at training, it’s actually been really good.

“I think our pressure is good, but there’s lots to improve on.

“Where we’re getting the ball into the forwards and our reaction to turning the ball over is too slow, which we’re working on every night at training, so hopefully it comes to fruition in the game.”

Despite the difficult year, it’s funny what winning can do to a team.

After taking their third win of the season last weekend, albeit an inaccurate 13.17 performance against the struggling Panthers, the Bats have the chance to claim another victory when they host the diminished Demons out at Goorambat.

Milawa is another such fallen star, sitting with just one win more than the Bats in unfamiliar territory outside the bright lights of finals.

Dunne said his team can bring the pressure and claim another triumph this weekend on their home deck against a side with which they’ve enjoyed a number of fantastic duels over the years.

“We’re just trying to stay with our game for the whole game, and kick our goals,” he said.

“We get plenty of entries, so hopefully that’s somewhere we can really knuckle down on this week and take it to them.

“Jordan Wolff, he’s had a good year so far - he’s been on and off with a hand injury but he’s been good.

“When he’s there, he definitely makes an impact on our team, with the leadership he brings.

“I reckon Victor Butler is one, he’s had a few quiet weeks but he’ll be one who’s ready to fire.

“When he plays well, we all play well, he makes a huge impact.

“I normally have a good game against Milawa, but we’ll see how we go.”

The Bats host Milawa this weekend in round 14.

In other matches this weekend, it’s Bright versus the Bombers at Pioneer Park, Whorouly heads up to Whitfield to play the Roos, the Hawks are at home to Benalla, and Moyhu face the Bulldogs at Tarrawingee.