They’ve been one of the surprise packets of the Ovens and King senior football competition this season, but after a hiccup last weekend, Moyhu have three weeks to prove to punters they can go all the way.

The Hoppers have had a stellar season, currently sitting fourth on percentage after leading the league earlier in the season, as the O&K steamrolls towards finals.

It’s an important month for Moyhu – after an immensely disappointing performance against second-placed Bright last weekend (1.11.17 – 17.12.144), the Hoppers face Goorambat (ninth) this Saturday before matches North Wangaratta (third) and Greta (fifth) to close out their year.

Their finals start now, and this weekend’s showdown against the proud Bats is the perfect way to reset and move forward into the games against fellow contenders.

Moyhu coach Darren Bell said last week’s touch up came at a good time, but the side was riding the excitement of the season.

“It’s a little bit interesting this year, to be winning those games in the middle of the year that you aim to, against sides we knew were fighting for a spot in finals, and all of a sudden we were propelled up the ladder a bit higher than we thought we’d be,” he said.

“It’s exciting, at round 16 or 17 to have booked a place in the finals already – now, it’s in our own hands where we land.

“We had a lot of opportunities [against Bright], we look back on it and say it was a pretty well-rounded side we played against, we knew we were up against the best in the business, they’re the reigning premiers and close to the favourites this year, and they just proved that they don’t have a weak link anywhere.

“It was a great little lesson for our young group, we knew it was a test

“It was really exciting on the track this week, we got to work, it’s still in our own hands but we know how much we need to improve to be travelling against the best in the league.”

Bell said despite being short favourites to do the deed over the Bats this weekend, his side would have to fight hard and not come in with the expectation of dominance.

“The last time we played them [nine point win in round eight], they really served it up for three quarters until we got away in the end,” he said.

“They’re a competitive side when they’re up and about, big Jordan Wolff is a hard man to stop when he gets going down forward.

“We’ve got some matchups we’ve got to sort out this weekend, get back to playing our sort of game without worrying about the scoreboard, see if we can get our game back up and about.

“I expect us to bounce back big time this weekend, we’ve had a really good chat about the game against Bright which we knew was a big test for us, but we’ve really got to turn up this weekend and beat Goorambat otherwise the season’s really up for grabs.”

The Hoppers host Goorambat this Saturday, with reserves football from 12pm and seniors from 2pm.