READ MORE - Weekend football teams
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
GARDINER Reserve is the venue for a two-hour double exam on Saturday for Gisborne and Sandhurst in the BFNL match of the round.
The round eight clash presents a testing opportunity for both the Bulldogs and Dragons to gauge their progress.
For Gisborne (6-1), the Bulldogs get to test themselves against the team that knocked them out in the elimination final last year.
And for the Dragons (5-2), the match presents an opportunity to test themselves against the side sitting second on the ladder.
"Gisborne at Gisborne is always a hard place to get a win... it's always hard fought down there, they play the ground really well and the conditions are often tough," Sandhurst captain Blair Holmes said this week.
"The longer you can keep in the game, be aggressive and attack the footy, the goals will come, so we've got to come with the same mindset as we did last week."
The Dragons' capacity to hang in the game and pounce on an opportunity was pivotal in their one-point win over Golden Square last week.
The Dragons didn't hit the front for the first time until just three minutes left on the clock, with the match-winning goal kicked by Holmes on his left out of a stoppage.
Given the Dragons had already lost games to fellow top-five sides Strathfieldsaye and Eaglehawk, it was a much-needed scalp for Sandhurst to instill some confidence ahead of the trip to Gardiner Reserve, which again has that 'Graveyard' feel about it with the Bulldogs back among the BFNL's top echelon.
"We spoke last week about needing to get a win against another top-five side... we thought we played reasonably well against Strathfieldsaye and Eaglehawk when we were down a few numbers," Holmes said.
"To be able to stick at it for four quarters against a good side in Square, and being Matt Thornton's 200th, it gave us that bit of a spark.
"We've had a lot of close games over the past few years where we've been on the wrong end of the result, so to have a tight win gives us some belief and knowledge that we can get it done."
The Dragons continue to be challenged by injuries, losing Taylor Strachan (glute) and Tom Calvert (elbow) from last week's side.
However, they regain strong marking swingman Lachie Ross and Bendigo Pioneers-listed Jeremy Rodi for the clash of 2nd v 4th.
The Bulldogs - who lost last year's elimination final to the Dragons by 23 points, but have already shown to be vastly superior in 2019 - will be missing two players to representative duties.
The Gisborne pair of Brad Bernacki and Liam Spear have both been selected in the Vic Country team to play the Victorian Amateur Football Association in the Under-19 Challenge at Elsternwick on Saturday.
Sandhurst hasn't conceded a score above 100 in its past 67 games, but is facing a high-scoring Bulldogs side averaging 134 points per game.
Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.