CHARLES Sturt University will be hoping their high-pressure game plan can stand up over a crucial month of football.
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The Bushpigs have been one of the surprise packets of the opening five weeks of the Farrer League, dropping just the one game with only percentage separating them and top spot.
They will learn a lot more about their premiership chances over the next month, starting with a trip to Victoria Park on Saturday to face third-placed The Rock-Yerong Creek.
The Bushpigs take on fellow top five sides, TRYC, East Wagga-Kooringal and North Wagga, plus Temora, within the next month.
First-year CSU coach Travis Cohalan expects a fierce challenge against the Magpies on Saturday but is confident his men will give a good account of themselves.
"We're really excited by the opportunity to again play a team we think is a genuine premiership contender," Cohalan said.
"You only have to look at the results and the way some of their players have been going, like (Dean) Biermann and (Riley) Budd, they both seem to be absolute jets so obviously they've got some really good footballers and the results have been reflecting that they're having a really good year as well.
"We don't have the star power that other teams have but we've got an even bunch of 21 blokes that will turn up and do their best on Saturday so we'll see how we go but it's certainly going to be a very big challenge."
Cohalan has kept things simple with his young CSU squad.
If the Bushpigs can bring their best, high-pressure, style of football then Cohalan believes they can push a team like TRYC.
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"I think we have a pretty identifiable game plan and fericousness, I suppose, when we don't have the ball," he said.
"When we bring that to the contest, we can challenge most teams we think. So if we can make sure we bring that, starting this week against The Rock, we'll be in the game.
"When that application without the ball drops off and our pressure drops off, we start to struggle. The boys know what we need to bring, it's just a matter of working all week to bring that, preparation wise, and then turning up on the day ready to deliver that type of pressure and application."
Jacob Bell is set to get the job on Biermann, TRYC's centre-half-forward, on Saturday while Connor Kelly will most likely line-up on Joey Kerin.
The Bushpigs will welcome back Jacob Collingridge from a broken nose but will lose the unavailable Cam Humphries.
"It's probably no secret to anyone that we're not the tallest or biggest team in the competition so we don't have the key pillars on any line on the ground really," Cohalan said.
"We're a young team so our pressure has to be elite around the ground, especially in close, we have to win the ball, or at least halve the contest to give our defenders a chance to have some dirty ball coming in so they can bring it to ground.
"Our strength is obviously our ability to a, apply pressure and b, when we have the ball to move it quickly and use our run and fitness and speed on the outside. We just have to make sure the pressure is elite at the contest and back ourselves to get the ball on the ground and outrun them."
While preparing for a big month ahead, Cohalan is quietly satisfied with the way his team has started.
"Very happy. We had our reunion the last game we played against the Jets and a fair few people at the club were trying to remember the last time the Bushpigs were three (wins) and one (loss)," he said.
"I don't know the answere to that but we're certainly very happy with our start to the year and most importantly, I'm just happy to see the boys getting rewarded for their hard work."
Meantime, North Wagga's Matt Thomas and Barellan pair Jack Brumby and Jack Hillman have all accepted one-game striking suspensions from last weekend's round.
Thomas will miss the Saints' clash with Northern Jets, while Brumby and Hillman won't be out there when Barellan take on Temora.
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