In round 13 of the Picola League tomorrow, the Deni Rovers head away to Katandra to play the Kats.
In the senior football, the Rovers are coming off a 48 point loss to the third placed Katamatite side.
The loss puts them at seventh place on the ladder, at the bottom of a logjam of four teams between fourth and seventh on the ladder, all with seven wins.
Rovers senior football coach Alex Hay said the team has shown good moments, but their inconsistency in getting the ball effectively to their forwards is something they will look to improve on from the loss last week.
“The game against Katamatite was another good showing in patches, and unfortunately, we seem to have fallen into a bit of a pattern in that regard.
“We matched them in clearances and inside 50's, but our connection with our forwards was probably a bit off from what it has been when we've played well.
“In the second half they seemed to move the ball really smoothly, particularly from our forward half turnovers, which again has been a little bit of a trend and really will require a mindset shift for that to improve.
“Otherwise, we're still in games and giving ourselves a chance, just doing it for longer periods of time is the key.”
This week the Rovers take on a so-far undefeated Katandra who are second on the ladder and were grand final runners-up last year. They will be out to prove they can go one better this year.
Hay said his team is hungry for the opportunity to again play against one of the competition’s top sides.
“Last year they were arguably the best side in the comp.
“They didn't lose too much over the off season and picked up some top-end depth through the midfield and forward of the ball, so it's no surprise that they have performed well this season to date.
“Traditionally, they are a hard running and disciplined side, which always makes the assignment - coaching and playing wise - a little bit harder. You really have to execute the game plan for them to think about changing their style, which is what we will attempt to do.
“I think it will be a great learning experience for our younger mids to try and match it with their best players.
“I know we will play well enough to get a lot of chances to put on a score, and we have some real firepower there who are close to breaking a game open, and I think that the way we defend will suit Katandra’s ground.”
With three losses in the last five weeks, the Rovers have an important stretch for the last six games of the home and away season into the finals.
The performance of the team in the middle of the season is a good indicator and test ahead of the games at the end of the season, Hay said.
“Probably one thing that I've learnt in the last few years is that week-to-week, particularly this time of year, it's really an audition for the back end of the year.
“There are plenty of things that we still need to work on and get right consistently, and I suppose that really what you want to see as a coach over the next two months is improvement in the areas that you identify.”
It is set to be a competitive round of football and netball, with the Rovers reserves footballers coming off a good 10 point win against Katamatite.
They’re in third place on the ladder, ahead of playing the Kats in second, with both teams only having lost one game so far this season.
In the junior football, there are two games with potential consequences for finals.
Rovers’ thirds are in sixth and are taking on Katandra who are eighth, while in the fourths it is the Rovers in sixth versus Katandra in seventh.
Meanwhile, in the A-grade netball, the top of the ladder Deni Rovers are coming off their first loss of the season against Katamatite to take on the third placed Katandra.
In B-grade netball, coming off a draw, the Rovers are the third placed side in the third versus fourth clash as they will look to get back into good form against the Kats.
Across the other grades, from C-grade netball to the under-13s, the Deni Rovers, are better positioned on the ladder than their opponents tomorrow.