Unbeaten East Wagga-Kooringal without Ben Absolum and Nick Hull for 'massive' game at Marrar

Hull has been out with a broken finger since EWK's dramatic win against North Wagga a month ago while Absolum has been ruled out for this game after a minor injury at training last week.

"He's a bit tight in the hamstrings so it's not serious but we certainly won't be risking him at this stage of the year," EWK coach Matt Hard said.

It will be three weeks between games for the Hawks, who had a club bye last week after the representative break.

Prior to their double bye, they'd sailed to top spot on the ladder with five straight wins, culminating in their most professional effort, a convincing win against Charles Sturt University.

"It feels like an eternity ago," Hard said.

"That was a good win for us but it's three weeks ago so we'll have to get up and get going again."

The Bombers have had their own, more extensive, injury concerns, with Tyler Cunningham and Archie Howard the latest two to be ruled out for a month.

But Hard is preparing for a genuine challenge at Langtry Oval against a new-look Marrar team that has overcome plenty of off-season and mid-season changes and now won four on the trot.

"Absolutely. This is a big game," Hard said.

"They've won the last two premierships and they're in form.

"I don't think they'll change the way they play too much. They've got good young players, they like to run.

"They've shown they've got a winning culture out there, they're the reigning premiers and it's a massive game for us."

The Hawks will welcome back Daniel Hitchens for his first game in a month. He was unavailable against the Bushpigs but showed his class in the previous two weeks, against North Wagga and Barellan.

Hard said they're not getting hung up about the loss of Absolum and continued absence of Hull, particularly given the form of ruckman Kyle North-Flanagan.

"We can't stress about that (the injuries), you can't do anything about it," Hard said.

"We'll get our best 21 available and see how we go.

"Kyle's been outstanding for us in Nick's absence. He's been taking his marks around the ground and in the ruck he's been giving our midfielders first use. He's been great.

"He'll have another challenge this week against Molk (Nick Molkentin) who's been in good form for Marrar and in their best most weeks."

EWK haven't beaten Marrar since 2016, the year the Hawks broke their premiership drought.

READ MORE