After a sluggish first three quarters, the Bushies roared to life in the final term, piling on four quick goals to almost steal a memorable come-from-behind victory against Calder last week.
But a last-minute slip-up would once again cost them dearly, as they now find themselves sitting eighth on the ladder with a 2-3 record.
Speaking after last week’s loss, Bushrangers assistant coach Mario de Santa-Ana said they would not be taking the winless Knights lightly in what is shaping up to be a season-defining clash.
“Northern Knights are a hard side to track this year, they have been a top-three team in the past, but I think this year they might have struggled a bit,” de Santa-Ana said.
“I can’t remember us ever beating Northern Knights, however, so it is going to be a challenge, traditionally they have been a very well-drilled side in terms of their structure and that is an area we probably need to improve on after this week’s game.
“We play up at Yarrawonga which is a bit of an advantage for us, but it really is a must-win game for us if we are going to keep our finals hopes alive.”
Shepparton United’s Keeley Skepper has been the standout for the Bushrangers in recent weeks, with her game-high 32 disposals last week particularly impressive as she did all she could to will her team over the line.
United teammate Cassidy Mailer has also enjoyed a breakout campaign, with her game-breaking ability and elite skills a key part of the Bushies’ game plan.
But it will need to be an entire team effort to come away with the victory this week, as de Santa-Ana highlighted the two areas his side needed to improve on.
“Our structure around the contest is something we need to improve this week, deciding when to go and when not to go, that is something we will definitely focus on at training,” he said.
“Following on from that is decision making, we just need to be a lot quicker and a lot more committed to our decision making and almost be instinctive in the type of play we roll out as opposed to just hesitating.”
