BFNL: Carter excited by Golden Square's tough run home

The third-placed Bulldogs face Kyneton (home), Castlemaine (away), Gisborne (home) and Strathfieldsaye (away) to round out the season, with the Castlemaine clash the only game you could tip Golden Square with complete confidence.

The Dogs are assured of a finals berth, but are under pressure to maintain third place and the double-chance for the finals.

"I think if you asked the top few sides if they'd rather play the poorer sides or the better sides in the last few weeks before the finals, I'm pretty sure they'd say the better sides,'' Carter said.

"Playing against the better sides is an opportunity to play against the tougher bodies in those contested games and that's what finals footy is all about.

"I think it will be a huge benefit for us. It's a bit like at the start of the year when we play tough teams from across Victoria in practice games to get us ready for round one."

Golden Square has a score to settle on Saturday as it hosts a Kyneton side that had the better of the Bulldogs in round six.

Braydon Welsh (season-ending injury) aside, the Bulldogs are at full-strength - a luxury few teams have enjoyed in 2022.

"Kyneton got us down there on their turf, but we feel as though we're playing a better brand of footy than when we last met,'' Carter said.

"We learned a lot that day about their style of play. They have a very good defensive structure, so our forwards will have to work hard. Their midfield unit is strong and they have some classy forwards.

"We've changed a few things up and we'll have a different look this week."

A win for Kyneton on Saturday would go a long way to securing the Tigers a finals berth.

They're equal on points with fifth-placed Eaglehawk and those two sides meet next week.

Eaglehawk has a tough game of its own on Saturday when it hosts Sandhurst at Canterbury Park. The Dragons must win to keep their faint finals hopes alive.

Strathfieldsaye will return to the winner's list when it travels to Maryborough, while Kangaroo Flat should record its fourth win when it hosts Castlemaine.

READ MORE: BFNL teams - round 15

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