Eaglehawk’s bid to win the BASL division one championship on Sunday has hit a hurdle.
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The Hawks just need a draw against the ninth-placed Spring Gully in the last game of the season to clinch the championship from Shepparton South.
However, the Hawks have two major injury concerns.
Midfielder Daniel Kelly has been ruled out because of concussion, while key playmaker Nathan Hamblin is battling to be fit for Sunday’s clash.
“We know this isn’t going to be easy,’’ Eaglehawk coach Greg Thomas said.
“This is Spring Gully’s grand final and I’m sure they’d love nothing more than to beat us.
“Spring Gully is coming off a good result last week as well. We’ll need to play at our best.”
Thomas scored a hat-trick in the Hawks’ 5-0 win over the Reds in round six this year.
Spring Gully’s form has improved significantly since that clash.
The Reds stretched Epsom and Golden City in 3-2 defeats and played out encouraging 2-2 draws with Shepparton and Shepparton United.
The Reds have scored multiple goals in their past four matches, but the big question will be can their defence keep the free-scoring Hawks at bay?
“It will be important for us to start well, score the first goal and that will settle the nerves,’’ Thomas said.
Sunday’s game is the replay of a postponed fixture from round 17 and is the only BASL match for the weekend. The game starts at 2pm at Stanley Avenue.