George Town has nine outs for their NTFAW division one clash against Deloraine on Saturday due to injuries and work commitments.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Co-coach Dave Marshall said it was going to be tough.
But he's counting his lucky stars the Saints have strong numbers to cater for weekends like this.
He explained the Saints lost players to work commitments every week and it worked out well they could rotate players through the team to give everyone a run.
Wing Renee Wilson (hamstring), forward Ella Jones (unwell) and centre Jayde Barrenger (torn tendon in her finger) are among the absences.
On the flip side, wing Taleesha Gibbs is back from an ankle injury and defender Kayla Jetson-Scott returns after being unavailable.
The Saints are eager to bounce back after a 12.14 (86) to 0.0 (0) loss to top-ranked South Launceston last weekend.
Marshall said the scoreboard didn't reflect the effort his team put in and it wasn't all one-way traffic.
"We had opportunities to score but didn't make most of them," he said.
He explained the Saints were they beaten around the contest and their delivery into the forward line was a bit rushed.
So they'll be working to lower the eyes and find a free teammate in the forward 50.
Marshall felt the Bulldogs were more polished and the Saints took it as a valuable learning experience.
George Town got up 5.5 (35) to 1.0 (6) when they met the Kangaroos at start of the month.
The co-coach said the Saints were expecting another close encounter when they ventured to Deloraine for the first time in their history.
Evandale will be looking to turn the tables when they take on Meander Valley.
The Suns were 78-point winners when the sides met earlier this month.
Evandale will welcome back forwards Lucie Johnson and Rachel De Souza as well as under-17 trio Ruby Hudson, Lidia Holtz and Tori Davis.
Defenders Jenni Hughes and Marlie Lukic (COVID protocols) are outs this weekend.
Coach Andrew Boyd said it was fantastic for the club to have under-17s coming up for senior experience.
He praised the new rule which allows those 16 years and above to play four senior games.
"I think that's a brilliant rule and it helps with the transition from under-17s to seniors when the time comes," he said.
He said it promoted friendships between the seniors and under-17s and added to the club's culture.
Boyd said his group got a bit rattled and didn't stick to their structures against the Suns last time.
He's positive they can remain more composed on Saturday.
The coach said it was important the Eagles kept their spacing at contests.
Rather than everyone chasing the ball he wants them to keep a receiver on the outside.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.examiner.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter: @examineronline
- Follow us on Instagram: @examineronline
- Follow us on Google News: The Examiner