THE Bendigo Football-Netball League spotlight will be shining brightly on Sandhurst and Eaglehawk at the QEO on Saturday.

The Dragons and Hawks will play a stand-alone game to close out round six.

For the Hawks, it's an opportunity to close in on the top three given the door has been opened by back-to-back losses over the past fortnight to Golden Square.

Eaglehawk (3-2) sits one game behind Golden Square (4-2) heading into Saturday.

"It's a massive game... for us it gives us a look at the top three, but you don't let ladder position fool you, either," Hawks' coach Travis Matheson said on Friday.

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"Sandhurst (2-3, 7th) has only been a couple of goals off beating the likes of Strathfieldsaye and Gisborne, so we certainly see them in that top three mix, so it's going to be a big challenge."

The Hawks are set to be boosted by several key inclusions for the clash with the Dragons, including forward Darcy Richards and Jack Lawton and Clayton Holmes, who can share the rucking duties against gun Sandhurst big man Hamish Hosking.

"Darcy had been on fire for us in the early games and we've really missed him the past couple that he has been out (with a knee)," Matheson said.

"He gives us that really strong focal point where if you don't have a clear option you could get it down to him and know that if he didn't mark it he'd get it to ground.

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"He will give us a bit more structure and getting Holmesy and Jack back is timely to go up against Hosking, who has obviously been super for Sandhurst in the ruck and looks to be getting better each week from the vision I've seen of him.

"It's good to have a few options that we can throw at him."

Also among the ins for the Hawks are 2018 premiership forward Sean Williams, who was named on the interchange Thursday night.

Williams - who kicked five goals in the 2018 grand final win - is returning to the Hawks from Rochester.

As well as a crucial contest on the field, the game is also supporting the Pat Cronin Foundation, which is working with schools, clubs, community groups and young people to end the coward punch.

The foundation was established following the death of 19-year-old Pat Cronin in April of 2016 from injuries he sustained after being punched in the head from behind during a night out in Melbourne.

DISPOSALS - Eaglehawk 362; Sandhurst 361.

CONTESTED POSSESSIONS - Sandhurst 99; Eaglehawk 96.

MARKS - Eaglehawk 101; Sandhurst 78.

MARKS INSIDE 50 - Eaglehawk 15; Sandhurst 11.

INSIDE 50s - Eaglehawk 51; Sandhurst 47.

CENTRE CLEARANCES - Eaglehawk 12; Sandhurst 12.

CLEARANCES - Sandhurst 44; Eaglehawk 33.

EFFECTIVE TACKLES - Sandhurst 52; Eaglehawk 38.

HIT OUTS - Sandhurst 55; Eaglehawk 38.

TURNOVERS - Sandhurst 78; Eaglehawk 72.

2.20pm Saturday at QEO.

SANDHURST

B: J. Wilkinson, I. Ruff, T. Nally

HB: L. Ireland, C. Smith, H. Free

C: A. Wharton, N. Walsh, X. Walsh

HF: L. Zimmer, J. Coghlan, L. Murdoch

F: B. Holmes, J. Wharton, M. Thornton

R: H. Hosking, I. Carracher, J. Rodi

Int: Z. Pallpratt, J. McLean, B. Montague, M. Wilkinson

EAGLEHAWK

B: C. Holmes, S. Thompson, B. Rowles

HB: K. Lloyd, J. O'Brien, O. Madden

C: F. Verhey, L. Marciano, C. Langford

HF: S. Knott, J. Mullen, L. Davis

F: C. Roberts, D. Richards, B. Thompson

R: J. Lawton, B. Evans, D. Williams

Int: N. Wheeler, S. Williams, S. Dean, Z. Bulger

SANDHURST

From: James Venturini, Angus Dickson, Charlie Robinson, Conor O'Farrell, Jasper Stewart, Tom Oussa, James Mittell, Isaac Carracher, Thomas Hawke, Martin Leyden, Patrick O'Farrell, Luke Crawford, Jonty Rosenow, Connor Sexton, John Spiller, Jordan Quirk, Jack Keating, James Worme, Campbell Rowland, Layton Ross, Murdoch Mulqueen, Darcy Mills, Tom Calvert, Zac Sims

EAGLEHAWK

From: Ethan Hanley, Rhys Foster, Liam Drummond, Tex Dargan, Jack Fry, Connor Attwater, Bailey Ilsley, Jeremiah Stanford, Brody Brown, Mark Storey, Todd Kenworthy, Harley Bourke, Daniel Blake, Noah Miles, Jed Edlin, Tyler Eliades, Aydan Hanley, Barkley Jackson, Koby Gibson, Jordan Shelton, Corey Webb

SANDHURST

From: Ryan Domaille, Tobie Travaglia, Alex Carr, Archer Day-Wicks, Jacob Nihill, Louis Banfield, Joshua Gillies, Oliver Morris, Archer Patterson, Sebastian Morris, Seb Collins, Timothy Long, Thomas Farrelly, Nash Dignan, Dayten Uerata, Luke Salvador, Toby Harrison, Edward McCarthy, Harvey Sims, Declan Delaney, Tait Poyser, Thaine Bake

EAGLEHAWK

From: Jaxon Vroom, Matt Noden, Tyson Parkes, Angus Blandthorn, Finley Miles, Kyran Turton, Zac Hillier, Bowen Cauchi, Darcy Noordam, Nixon Reed, Austin Spiteri, Izak O'Sullivan, Samuel Hanley, Kody Cairns-Oxley, Zeppelin Roberts, Samuel Gorrie, Jakeb Hanley, Jordan Holland, Mitchell Ronchieri, Ethan Hewett, Noah Eliades

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