BFNL: Dragons expect star ruckman Hosking to return for clash against Hawks

Hosking has been the BFNL's dominant big man this year in his first season at the club, but he was sorely missed in last Saturday's 69-point loss to Golden Square at the QEO that was a further dagger in the Dragons' finals hopes.

"At this stage we expect he will be right... everything is tracking well to him playing this week," Sandhurst coach Ashley Connick said on Wednesday.

"He had played against South Bendigo and Kangaroo Flat (rounds 12 and 13) with a fairly bad corked leg.

"He got some treatment on Tuesday last week, which was around massage that has stirred things up a bit and he ended up with an infection in it.

"He went on to antibiotics straight away, which ruled him out last Saturday.

"At this stage I'd say it's highly likely that he will be right to play this Saturday."

According to Premier Data Hosking - recruited from Port Melbourne Colts - leads the BFNL in hit-outs (527) and hit-outs to advantage (164). He had a season-high 71 hit-outs in round one against Gisborne and has had at least 40 in seven of his 13 games.

With Hosking sidelined it left Connor Sexton and second-gamer James Worme to shoulder the ruck duties against Golden Square's Matt Compston, with the Bulldogs winning the hit-outs 57-36, but the Dragons were only narrowly beaten 40-37 in the clearances.

"They are both going to be good players for us, but it was obviously a big responsibility for them," Connick said.

"It's great for their development to get that sort of opportunity coming up against a quality ruckman in Matt Compston and then when they go forward they play on a really good defender in Jon Coe.

"It was worth a few games of development for both of them."

The Dragons are two games outside the top five with four rounds remaining against Eaglehawk, Maryborough, Kyneton and Castlemaine and would need to win all four to be any chance of playing finals.

Of the eight losses the Dragons have suffered this year, last Saturday's in what was captain Lee Coghlan's 200th was the first where they had been blown away.

Coghlan spent the final quarter of the game on the interchange with hamstring tightness.

"Lee trained last night so we'd be hopeful he will be right to play this Saturday," Connick said.

"He's obviously got to get through training this week, so we'll see how he goes."

ROUND 1:

Kyneton 18.15 (123) def Castlemaine 7.6 (48)

Kangaroo Flat 16.19 (115) def Maryborough 6.8 (44)

Golden Square 15.13 (103) def South Bendigo 7.11 (53)

Gisborne 10.12 (72) def Sandhurst 6.10 (46)

Strathfieldsaye 12.13 (85) def Eaglehawk 10.12 (72)

ROUND 2:

Golden Square 21.25 (151) def Kangaroo Flat 6.6 (42)

Gisborne 24.12 (156) def Kyneton 10.7 (67)

Eaglehawk 19.8 (122) def South Bendigo 9.12 (66)

Castlemaine 21.10 (136) def Maryborough 12.14 (86)

Strathfieldsaye 16.12 (108) def Sandhurst 12.10 (82)

ROUND 3:

Gisborne 34.21 (225) def Castlemaine 0.2 (2)

Golden Square 36.19 (235) def Maryborough 2.5 (17)

Eaglehawk 21.11 (137) def Kangaroo Flat 12.16 (88)

Strathfieldsaye 18.14 (122) def Kyneton 11.11 (77)

South Bendigo 14.10 (94) def Sandhurst 12.14 (86)

ROUND 4:

Gisborne 24.14 (158) def Maryborough 2.5 (17)

Strathfieldsaye 18.12 (120) def Castlemaine 2.7 (19)

Sandhurst 20.11 (131) def Kangaroo Flat 8.11 (59)

Golden Square 13.16 (94) def Eaglehawk 6.11 (47)

South Bendigo 13.12 (90) def Kyneton 13.9 (87)

ROUND 5:

Eaglehawk 20.20 (140) def Maryborough 2.6 (18)

South Bendigo 23.13 (151) def Castlemaine 5.7 (37)

Kyneton 19.12 (126) def Kangaroo Flat 6.11 (47)

Sandhurst 12.10 (82) def Golden Square 10.10 (70)

Gisborne 11.17 (83) def Strathfieldsaye 12.5 (77)

ROUND 6:

Strathfieldsaye 33.21 (219) def Maryborough 1.5 (11)

Gisborne 23.14 (152) def South Bendigo 7.4 (46)

Kangaroo Flat 11.15 (81) def Castlemaine 6.7 (43)

Eaglehawk 14.13 (97) def Sandhurst 11.16 (82)

Kyneton 15.5 (95) def Golden Square 12.16 (88)

ROUND 7:

Golden Square 33.9 (207) def Castlemaine 4.3 (27)

Sandhurst 25.14 (164) def Maryborough 8.7 (55)

Gisborne 22.12 (144) def Kangaroo Flat 6.9 (45)

Kyneton 11.14 (80) def Eaglehawk 7.17 (59)

Strathfieldsaye 12.18 (90) def South Bendigo 13.11 (89)

ROUND 8:

Strathfieldsaye 27.14 (176) def Kangaroo Flat 2.5 (17)

South Bendigo 15.12 (102) def Maryborough 7.9 (51)

Gisborne 11.11 (77) def Golden Square 8.14 (62)

Kyneton 9.19 (73) def Sandhurst 9.8 (62)

Eaglehawk 9.6 (60) def Castlemaine 9.5 (59)

ROUND 9:

Sandhurst 19.21 (135) def Castlemaine 3.6 (24)

Kyneton 18.10 (118) def Maryborough 5.13 (43)

Gisborne 14.16 (100) def Eaglehawk 5.7 (37)

Golden Square 10.20 (80) def Strathfieldsaye 3.4 (22)

South Bendigo 13.15 (93) def Kangaroo Flat 6.11 (47)

ROUND 10:

Kyneton 25.20 (170) def Castlemaine 6.8 (44)

Golden Square 21.14 (140) def South Bendigo 6.11 (47)

Sandhurst 15.8 (98) def Gisborne 9.7 (61)

Strathfieldsaye 11.17 (83) def Eaglehawk 8.9 (57)

Kangaroo Flat 12.10 (82) def Maryborough 10.6 (66)

ROUND 11:

Golden Square 23.23 (161) def Kangaroo Flat 7.3 (45)

Gisborne 18.11 (119) def Kyneton 9.6 (60)

Castlemaine 13.12 (90) def Maryborough 8.8 (56)

Strathfieldsaye 16.5 (101) def Sandhurst 11.12 (78)

South Bendigo 15.7 (97) def Eaglehawk 11.9 (75)

ROUND 12:

Golden Square 28.24 (192) def Maryborough 4.5 (29)

Gisborne 21.11 (137) def Castlemaine 3.2 (20)

Eaglehawk 18.11 (119) def Kangaroo Flat 6.12 (48)

Strathfieldsaye 12.11 (83) def Kyneton 9.12 (66)

South Bendigo 16.4 (100) def Sandhurst 13.13 (91)

ROUND 13:

Gisborne 26.24 (180) def Maryborough 1.2 (8)

Strathfieldsaye 26.12 (168) def Castlemaine 4.3 (27)

Sandhurst 18.11 (119) def Kangaroo Flat 8.8 (56)

South Bendigo 11.8 (74) def Kyneton 7.13 (55)

Eaglehawk 12.12 (84) def Golden Square 12.5 (77)

ROUND 14:

South Bendigo 20.16 (136) def Castlemaine 5.9 (39)

Eaglehawk 19.12 (126) def Maryborough 6.6 (42)

Golden Square 15.15 (105) def Sandhurst 4.12 (36)

Kyneton 19.24 (138) def Kangaroo Flat 11.9 (75)

Gisborne 17.14 (116) def Strathfieldsaye 8.10 (58)

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