They say the best defence is a good offense – in reality, the best defence is having an absolutely rock-solid defensive structure.

Enter Whorouly and Goorambat.

The Lions and Bats boast the two most frugal defensive set-ups in the Ovens and King A grade competition, and the two sides will find out who has what it takes when they meet on the court at the Whorouly Recreation Reserve this Saturday.

After seven matches played Whorouly and Goorambat have conceded just 196 and 200 goals respectively, ranking number one and two in the league.

The stats indicate Whorouly holds the edge, not with their stingy defence, but their revitalised and commanding attack end.

While they rely on their defence to deny opposition score, the Lions are punishing under the post and are currently the number one side in the competition in terms of goals scored, having racked up 377 goals with an average score of 53.86 per game.

In contrast, Goorambat are the sixth-most prolific scoring side, having shot 275 goals averaging 39.29 goals a game.

Whorouly coach Kelly Cousins said the side had worked hard to increase their goal output, augmenting their already elite defence.

“Over the past few years, our game has been built on strong defensive pressure and our ability to turn that into attacking momentum,” she said.

“This season, we’ve made a conscious shift to place greater emphasis on our attacking end and lift our efficiency in goals.

“We want to make sure the turnover ball we create is converted on the scoreboard, while continuing to capitalise on our centre pass opportunities at a high rate.

“I think this focus has definitely resulted in our attacking end having a higher scoring power so far this season.”

The Lions are coming off the bye, and have a chance to push their undefeated streak to eight straight games.

“The girls are very aware that we still haven’t put together a full 60-minute performance, so we know there’s still plenty of improvement left in us,” Cousins said.

“Our focus is very much on taking it one week at a time and continuing to address the areas which haven’t worked as well for us in previous games.

“Goorambat has a strong defensive unit and a mindset that’s quite similar to ours - they have a high work rate and a smothering defence which can really grind out a game.

“We know we have the ability to score quickly, so if we can execute our game plan consistently, hopefully we can get the job done.”

The Lions host the Bats from 2.30pm at Whorouly Recreation Reserve this Saturday.

Elsewhere in round nine, Bonnie Doon will look to defend their home turf from a legitimate challenge in Greta, with a two vs three showdown set to explode.

Milawa has a chance to further climb up the ladder when they host Benalla All Blacks, with both outfits looking for their fourth win of the season.

In other matches, Tarrawingee heads across to Moyhu, while North Wangaratta will look to break their winless streak when they host King Valley.