Break the trend

AS the old saying goes, there’s a first time for everything. Rovers United Bruck host Yarrawonga Mulwala this weekend in their A grade semi-final at W. J. Findlay Oval, and if previous results are any indication, the Lakers have the rub of the green. The last time the Hawks beat Yarrawonga Mulwala in the A grade competition was back in a one-dayer in October 2023. Since then, the Lakers have had the wood over RUB, having won their next three encounters, including last season’s two-day grand final. In fact, the Hawks have only lost two games this season, both to the Lakers. In their first match this season, Yarrawonga Mulwala bowled the Hawks out for just 94 inside 34 overs, making 135 in reply. Their last red ball encounter admittedly was on an incredibly lively deck, with scores of 10/70, 10/58, 10/93 and 3/73 recorded, but the end result was a win to the Lakers. It’s fair to say there’s somewhat of a monkey on the back. Rovers United Bruck captain Paddy McNamara said the Lakers presented a legitimate obstacle for his side to overcome. “It’s going to be a tough challenge, pretty much as tough as it gets - we’ve had two losses this year, both to Yarra, and we’ve got them in a semi, so it’s a huge opportunity for us to redeem that,” he said. “They’ve had our number the last few times we’re played them, so they’ll be pretty confident going into the game. “In saying that, we finished on top for a reason. “We’ve been such a consistent side all year, so we’re backing ourselves to play well, and if we play well, we’ll come out on top.” The Lakers will come out with class whichever decision is made at the toss, led by Brock McCabe with the bat and Angus Heslin with the ball. “I think their bowling’s always been superb, I think Gus Heslin’s really taken charge of that bowling attack since Christmas,” McNamara said. “He’s going to be their danger man with the ball, so I feel like if we can keep him quiet early, he’s been getting a lot of wickets in his first spell, so if our opening partnership can knuckle down it’s going to go a long way to winning the game. “They’re going to have to find other avenues for wickets, so if we can put a bit of pressure on their top two bowlers, both the Guses [Angus Heslin and Angus McMillan], then I think we’ll be able to get a good enough score on the board. “I know they’ve knocked us over a couple of times cheaply, but we’ve also bowled them out three times in two games so far this season. “Our bowlers will be backing themselves in to bowl them out, it’s probably our batting we’ve got to be up for, try and put a bit of pressure back on their bowlers.” McNamara said the entire squad was looking forward to getting a game finished in a single weekend, and wondered whether more Saturday-Sunday games could be included in future seasons. “You can knock off a couple of two-dayers in a couple of weeks if you have the Saturday-Sunday game, and it can eliminate some of those two-week byes,” he said. “In my honest opinion I think we should do more of it midseason. “Some of us boys play Country Week where you’ve got to back up for four or five days, and we did it with the one day grand final where we came out on the Sunday and played well. “You get good momentum backing up the next day instead of waiting a whole week.” Rovers United Bruck take on Yarrawonga Mulwala in their A grade semi-final from 1pm on Saturday and Sunday.

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