IT MIGHT still be unbeaten atop the Riddell District Football League ladder, but Diggers Rest is far from content.
Runners-up the past three seasons, the Burras have set a high standard in 2016 which they have yet to reach.
The win-loss ratio is far from the only key indicator for coach Shaun Sims, who believes his side still has plenty of improvement left over the back half of the campaign.
“We’re just doing enough at the moment,” Sims said.
“We’re playing some really good footy at times and really good footy in quarters. It’s just about getting into good habits more consistently, I suppose.
“The goal is to put yourself in the best position to play finals and we’re not there yet. We’ve been disappointed after some of the wins we’ve had this year with the way we’ve played.
“We know how we want to play and what we want to do so that’s what we judge it on, we don’t particularly judge it on wins and losses.”
Sims said he had been doing plenty of experimenting with the side this year, with the goal of having a versatile line-up come finals.
“We’re moving guys around a lot which we were always going to do for the first half of the year just to find out about them,” he said.
“That might impact our scoring ability at times, but it’s about gaining flexibility for when it comes to the end of the year.”
Diggers Rest belted bottom side Rockbank on Saturday, 48.27 (315) to 1.2 (8).
The Rams were held goalless to three-quarter-time, by which point the Burras led by 217 points.
Brandon Kilty booted 12 goals in a best-on-ground performance while Christopher Lawton (seven goals) and Cameron McCabe (three goals) were also impressive.
Diggers Rest will tackle fourth-placed Wallan this week ahead of a Round 10 clash against their biggest challenger this year — second-placed Macedon.
“I’ve only watched them on video,” Sims said of the Cats.
“They maintain the ball well and they’ve got some talented players but you’re not going to know with everyone until the fixture sorts itself out. They’re undefeated, so they’re going well, but Wallan are playing pretty well, too, so we’ll worry about them first.”
