HUNTLY coach Emily Eliades insists the Hawks tough run home should leave them well prepared for a third-straight finals campaign under her coaching.
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An intriguing last five weeks of the home and away season tosses up a trifecta of games against top-five opponents for the Hawks, starting with top team Colbinabbin on Saturday.
Huntly must also play reigning premier White Hills (second) and Mount Pleasant (fourth), as well as Leitchville-Gunbower, which is still an outside chance of forcing its way into the five. The Hawks also have a bye next round (July 27).
It's a series matches that has Eliades and her players excited, rather than fazed, for what's to come.
"The players have really formed together well as a group and are really playing as a team," she said.
"In the three years I've been there, we have got a whole new A-grade team (from 2016) - the way they have been playing has been absolute fantastic.
"It will be nice to come up against Colbo this weekend to see exactly just where we are at.
"The last time we played them - and White Hills - we felt we learnt a lot about what we needed to work on to challenge those teams a lot more closely.
"I believe the girls have taken all that on board and have been executing it and that has been showing in our scorelines.
"I feel if the girls can apply themselves as they have in the last few weeks, I feel we will be really strong and competitive coming into finals."
The Hawks got within nine goals of Colbinabbin, which is coming off a bye and is undefeated in 11 games, in their earlier season clash, with the Grasshoppers' big-game experience proving instrumental in the final term.
They have been bolstered through the season by the inclusions of defender Georgia Creighton and athletic midcourter Jessica Cox, complementing a quality core led by skipper Ashlea Jenkyn, class midcourter Kym Bell and goal shooter Chloe Fletcher.
A priority for Huntly will be retaining the double chance ahead of finals.
The Hawks start the round six points ahead of Mount Pleasant and eight in front of Elmore, with Eliades labelling her side's recent wins over the Bloods and North Bendigo as crucial to that goal.
The race for third and indeed fourth and fifth spots will tighten even further come this Saturday, with Mount Pleasant and Elmore scheduled to clash at Toolleen, while Leitchville-Gunbower hosts Heathcote.
The Bloods will be looking to rebound after a loss to White Hills, while Mount Pleasant survived a tough battle against the Bulldogs.
After playing a standalone game on April 6 to kick-start the season, White Hills and Lockington Bamawm United have a weekend off.
North Bendigo has the bye.
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