Newtown & Chilwell coach Damien Christensen. Picture: AL PACKER
NEWTOWN & Chilwell coach Damien Christensen doesn’t need to be reminded that his club’s finals hopes could be all-but dashed with a loss to St Mary’s this afternoon.
Having sat third just three weeks ago, consecutive losses to St Joseph’s, Bell Park and St Albans has seen the Eagles drop to sixth, a game and significant percentage behind both Grovedale and Bell Park.
“We need to beat St Mary’s, and the game between St Joeys and Grovedale is a massive, massive game for the double-chance,” Christensen said.
“We need Joeys to win that, then we need to beat Grovey and we need to beat South Barwon to make it.
“Which is doable, but you need players to play and stay on the paddock.”
If the Eagles were to upset the Saints this afternoon, and St Joseph’s has the better of Grovedale, that would make next week’s meeting a defacto elimination final.
However, Christensen knows when you’re reliant on other results, the odds are stacked against you.
It’s a far cry from what could have been had their two-point loss to St Joseph’s gone the other way.
“Three weeks ago we were two points of going two games clear of Joeys and Bell Park,” he said.
“All of a sudden we’ve lost seven players in three weeks.
“That has a massive impact on your ability.”
Twitter: @tom_king79