Eaglehawk ruck stocks take a hit ahead of big game against Tigers

Key defender Clayton Holmes and number one ruckman Connor Dalgleish will both miss the match because of injuries.

Holmes is likely to miss four matches after suffering a broken jaw in last week's shock loss to Kangaroo Flat at Dower Park.

Dalgleish injured his ankle in the same game, but will only miss one or two games.

On a positive note, midfielder/forward Sam Harper returns to the Borough after spending the past couple of years in Darwin.

He adds another piece to the Hawks' midfield and he's a proven goal kicker.

Siblings Jarryn and Kallen Geary also return to the Eaglehawk side after they missed last week's game.

With Dalgleish and Holmes sidelined, Cam McGlashan is likely to take on the ruck role against Kyneton skipper James Orr.

"Connor gave it a test on Thursday night, but it wasn't quite right and, hopefully, he'll be right for next week,'' Matheson said.

"Clayton's injury was a head clash at the first bounce in the final quarter, but somehow he managed to play the rest of the game out.

"He made a fair mess of it. He had surgery and had a couple of plates and screws put in.

"Glash (McGlashan) has played in the ruck before, so we'll work our way around it."

The Hawks were on the wrong end of the upset of the BFNL season last week.

In a game they were expected to win comfortably, the Hawks kicked away their chances in front of goal and lost to the Roos by three points.

"We were bitterly disappointed in the outcome of the game,'' Eaglehawk coach Travis Matheson said.

"We only had ourselves to blame in front of goal.

"We reviewed the game on Tuesday night, identified the areas where we let ourselves down and we push on from there.

"It's not something that we spoke about on Thursday night and we won't speak about it on Saturday. Hopefully, it's a bump in the road and we push on."

The Hawks had more of the ball and more inside 50s, but the Roos proved too good.

"All the numbers went our way, but I thought we went away from the things that we hold ourselves accountable to through the first part of the season,'' Matheson said.

"Namely around our defence and discipline. The good thing is that they are an easy fix if we're willing to do so."

Kyneton has made steady improvement through the first six rounds of the season and rate a genuine threat to the Borough.

"It's a big challenge, I rate Kyneton really highly,'' he said.

"I'm not looking at where they sit on the ladder because I don't think that's a fair reflection of the footy thay are capable of playing."

Saturday's game between Eaglehawk and Kyneton is the BFNL's feature match in its annual Indigenous Round.

The round, held in National Reconciliation Week, has been developed through continued partnerships with Dja Dja Wurrung People, who have lived on our traditional lands and cared for djandak (country) over many thousands of years.

The Eaglehawk-Kyneton match brings together central Victorian Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal members to provide an opportunity for continual learning, whilst paying recognition to the living Aboriginal culture of the traditional owners, the Dja Dja Wurrung.

The BFNL is using local football and netball as a platform to initiate continued conversation and further promote a deeper education surrounding respective local Indigenous history, highlighted by all BFNL clubs competing in the custom designed football and netball uniforms.

The custom BFNL Indigenous designs were first created by local artists back in 2014, each telling the story specific to the historic region of each BFNL club.

As customary for the identified feature matches, competing Eaglehawk and Kyneton senior teams will be playing for the Wirama Shield in both football and netball, with individual awards presented to those players judged best afield for their respective teams.

"Sport is a great way to come together in the spirit of reconciliation - to reflect on our shared history and celebrate our shared love of football and netball. It's always good to see people come out to support this important event," Dja Dja Wurrung Group CEO Rodney Carter said.

Under-18 and reserves football matches at Canterbury Park will commence 30 minutes ahead of the regular schedule to involve all football and netball playing groups, along with officiating umpires, BFNL and attending Djaara members in the customary on-field welcome to country smoking ceremony.

SCHEDULE AT CANTERBURY PARK

10.15am: under-18 football

11.30am: 17-and-under netball

11.30am: B-grade netball

12pm: reserves football

1pm: B-reserve netball

1pm: A-reserve netball

2pm: Welcome/Smoking Ceremony (on field, senior football/A-grade netball/umpires)

2.20pm: senior football match

2.30pm: A-grade netball match

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