Morwell will be vying to make it two wins in a row under new coach Joel Soutar, when it hosts Warragul in round four of the TRFM Gippsland League.
Fresh from a 57-point win over Moe, the two-time reigning premier will take plenty of confidence into the match.
Morwell has beaten the Gulls in their past 14 encounters.
However the Tigers won’t be taking their improving opponent lightly.
Last week Warragul fell just 10-points short of last year’s finalists, Bairnsdale.
“They are an up and coming side as well," Soutar said.
"They have a lot of young players and we won’t be taking anything for granted.
"Hopefully we can get over the line."
The Tigers will wait until the latest possible moment to select its side, to give it access to its VFL players if they are available.
Today marks the 150th time Sale and Traralgon have met since the Latrobe Valley Football League was formed in 1954.
Fresh from consecutive wins over Moe and Drouin, the Maroon’s have shown huge improvement since its opening round loss to Leongatha.
“After round one it was all doom and gloom and now we are two and one, and just knocked Drouin off by 70 points. So it can change quickly, but at the same time we can’t get too comfortable,” Traralgon coach Mark Collison said.
Saturday’s clash will see former Frankston team mates turned Gippsland League coaches Collison and Travis Ronaldson, go head to head.
“Big Travo is my mate down there so hopefully I can get the first go on him and get a win.
“They are a good side. He’s a good coach, really structured and they have some good players but we will just focus on what we can do as a side. We don’t look too much into the opposition as long as we are doing everything right."
Sale came off second best against Wonthaggi last week but will take plenty away from the game.
Moe came agonizingly close to a major upset when it hosted 2014 runner up Wonthaggi in round 10 last year.
A six goal to three third term saw the Lions get within a goal of the Power in the third, however on that occasion the visitor held on to win by 12 points.
Power coach Rob Railton concedes that match will be at the back of his mind when his side travels to the Valley to take on the Lions this weekend.
“When we were up there last year, they came at us. And we expect them to continue cracking in and give us one hell of a contest,” Railton said.
“I think it will be pretty even across the board… I don’t think there will be any games this year that you know the result, every game is important."
The only unbeaten team left in the competition, Leongatha will be vying for its fourth straight win when it returns home to host Bairnsdale.
However Parrots coach Beau Vernon said he won’t be taking anything for granted.
“I watched Bairnsdale at Leongatha last year and they gave us a fair touch up. They are a hard team and we are looking forward to the challenge.”
Vernon said the pressure on spots will ensure his team doesn’t get ahead of itself.
“We can’t get ahead of ourselves. We have a few really good junior players putting their hands up for spots,” Vernon said.
"Everyone is fighting for a spot in the team and if they are not doing the team thing, no matter who they are, they’ll find themselves playing in the reserves.
“The pressure on spots will keep people level headed. The playing group we have wants success. It’s player driven, they have set a precedent for themselves and they have to live up to it”.
The Redlegs can expect tougher competition than when the sides met in round 10, last year.
Under lights at Bairnsdale, the clash saw the home team post its biggest score ever to beat Leongatha, which in turn recorded its lowest score against the Redlegs.
That night saw James Gibbs boot a bag of 11 majors, however Bairnsdale can expect a very different opponent
this time around.
The big-bodied Leongatha has won its first three matches of the season, leaving the likes of Traralgon, Wonthaggi and Maffra in its wake.
“They’ve played some really good football, it’s going to be a huge challenge for us,” Bairnsdale coach Shaun Mooney said.
“We are looking forward to the challenge. We understand it’s going to be a tough one, but we are committed to having a good week on the track."
Maffra can expect a tough contest when it travels up the Freeway to take on Drouin in a re-match of the 2010 grand final.
The Eagles are coming off a loss to ladder leader Leongatha in terrible conditions at home, while Hawks coach Bob McCallum concedes his side wasn’t at its best in its 70-point loss to Traralgon.
“Another big one. I think from here on, every game is a finals game for us. But we relish the challenge and we can’t wait,” McCallum said.
“We always knew we were going to come up against the good sides pretty quickly. Now the boys know what they have to train for, and they know what benchmark to hit."
Last Modified on 01/05/2015 15:02
