Common wisdom holds it isn’t important whether you get knocked down, it’s about how you pick yourself up which counts.

Wangaratta Rovers will be aiming to dust themselves off after an unfortunate performance last weekend which saw them suffer their second loss of the year at the hands of Wodonga Bulldogs.

The slow start, which the Rovers have been guilty of at various points in the season, cost them the match and saw them drop from the top spot on the ladder for the first time this year.

“We just had an off day and that is acceptable throughout the year,” Rovers football operations manager Mario Antonello said.

“We are working out some positional changes that best suit our finals run, and we are lucky to be getting all players back from injury in the next seven days.”

This weekend offers the Rovers the perfect chance to get back to playing their best footy when they host Albury Tigers.

The Tigers’ season has been over for weeks, languishing just one win above the wooden spoon position in the club’s 150th year, but it won’t be a walkover.

Albury has a phenomenal list, are gelling better and better every week, and most importantly, have nothing to lose.

“Albury present us with a great challenge, and our last game away from home against them was a cracker,” Antonello said.

“The outcome is simple for us from now on in - we need to keep winning and try to win well.”

Wangaratta Rovers host Albury Tigers this Saturday at WJ Findlay Oval, with thirds football from 10am, reserves from 12pm before the senior showdown at 2pm.

Meanwhile, the Magpies will look to establish themselves as Wangaratta’s premiership fancies when they take on the red-hot Lavington Panthers at the Lavington Sportsground.

Leading the way on the ladder by just four percentage points, the black and white will have to have their wits about them, with the Panthers desperate to sneak back into the top five.

However, the ‘Pies will take confidence from their most recent win, in which a dominant fourth term saw them knock fellow finalist Yarrawonga over by six goals after three quarters of parity.