MARYBOROUGH co-coach Jamie Bond is confident a win is just around the corner for the Magpies in the Bendigo Football League.
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Maryborough produced a gallant effort last week against top-five team Eaglehawk in going down by nine points, with the side determined to take the next step and win when they host Kyneton at Barkers Oval Princes Park on Saturday.
"Every week the boys are having a dip, but we just can't get over the line," Bond said on Friday.
"We're just lacking a couple of big guys... if we had another two guys the size of Tyson MacIlwain it would be a different story for us."
MacIlwain at centre half-forward has been the Magpies' most consistent player this season and was rewarded with an inter-league guernsey against Gippsland last month, while Bond has also been impressed with the performances of young players Billy Mahony and Coby Perry.
"Billy and Coby have been two of our best players... one is 16 and the other is 17 and both have had really good seasons," Bond said.
"And it's also been really good to see how our under-18s are going. Last week they only played with 16 and only got beaten by two goals, so there's good players coming through at the club."
Despite getting to round nine without a senior win, Bond says spirits remain high at Maryborough, which had its training session on Thursday night taken by AFL Central Victoria regional operations manager Justin Abrams.
"Justin was really good on Thursday night and the boys enjoyed it," Bond said.
"He has been involved in the VFL system over at North Ballarat, so to hear a different view on the game was something the young players really appreciated."
Seventh-placed Kyneton (4-4) has won its past two games and on Saturday is chasing three wins in a row for the first time since 2005.