Magpies set for pre-finals test

Wangaratta’s senior footballers will look to fire a warning shot on the eve of finals as they send off the regular season at the Wangaratta Showgrounds against Albury on Saturday. The Magpies all but guaranteed their spot in finals with a 60-point win over the winless Wodonga Raiders last weekend. While it’s mathematically possible for the sixth-placed Wodonga to leapfrog Wangaratta into fifth, they would need to beat Wangaratta Rovers by around 90 points at Martin Park and have the Magpies lose to Albury by the same amount. They will eagerly await the result of North Albury against Myrtleford at McNamara Reserve to see who they will line up against in their sudden death final. The ‘Pies had lost their last three going to Birallee Park, despite showing promising signs against quality sides. Coach Jason Heatley said it was pleasing to see his team respond strongly in the first half. “We were under no illusions we needed to go to Raiders and win, and we put the game away pretty early,” he said. Michael Bordignon, Nick Richards, Brad Melville and Harry Smart were all rested last weekend, while Murray Bushrangers prodigies Blake Newton, Max Bihun and Oscar Roberts came in and filled the void. Newton was the best of the bunch snagging a game-high four goals to go with 18 disposals while Dan Sharrock played his best game since returning from injury to finish with 28 touches and 10 clearances. Heatley said he was hoping all four senior players would be available for Saturday’s clash as the under 18s Bushrangers would return to their representative footy for their last game of the Coates Talent League season. “We were always happy to give them opportunity at some point, and they've been pretty consistent with the opportunities that they've got,” Heatley said. Albury have been losers of four of their past five games, but they’ve shown shown their best can match it with anyone, boasting wins against Rovers, North Albury and Wangaratta the last time the two sides met. “They're a pretty good side, especially around the footy and forward to centre,” Heatley said. “If we just do our job and play the way that we want to play, hopefully it lands in our favour.” Wangaratta Rovers will play their final round match at Wodonga against the Bulldogs, having sewn up the minor premiership last week.

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