Barellan are expected to welcome back experienced pair Alex Lawder and James McCabe for Saturday's crucial showdown with North Wagga.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The third-placed Two Blues get the opportunity to turn for home in the Farrer League top three when they travel to take on the Saints at McPherson Oval.
Lawder missed Saturday's loss to East Wagga-Kooringal with a calf injury, while McCabe was a late withdrawal on the morning of the game due to illness.
McCabe will be a certainty to return on Saturday, while Lawder is also confident of playing.
"I didn't know I'd done it. I'm hopeful to play this weekend," Lawder said.
"Obviously keeping in mind that we do have a bye next weekend after this North Wagga game but I've been doing everything my physio has told me to do and we'll see how the week transpires."
The 26-point loss at home to East Wagga-Kooringal was just Barellan's second of the season.
MORE SPORT NEWS
Lawder believes they weren't far off the mark.
"They didn't allow our spread. They really restricted our ball movement, which was good on their behalf," he said.
"I reckon we still could have been the better team if things went our way so it was a tough one to lose because we were definitely in it."
While Barellan sit third, a loss to Charles Sturt University last Saturday dropped North Wagga to eighth spot on the ladder, but still with a heartbeat and only a game outside the top five.
Lawder recognises the challenge that awaits his team.
"I'm not one to write off a sleeping giant," he said.
"They are actually the last crowned premiers of the competition, they're still the defending premiers and every team wants to knock off any team on their day and I'm not going to write them off, especially on their home deck when their backs are against the wall.
"They're going to primed for a big game, there are definitely no easy games in the comp. You've got to be on your game to be able to win any game this year.
"It's another team that we haven't beaten in our history. Marrar we've never beaten, East Wagga we've never beaten and North Wagga is another. We've been able to tick off Northern Jets so we've definitely been talking about those little milestones and we don't want to hide from the fact."
Not only would a win on Saturday lock Barellan in the top three at the halfway mark of the season, it would potentially create more than a two-game buffer between the Two Blues and the chasing pack outside the top five.
Lawder understands the significance of Saturday's game on the Farrer League season.
"If someone said to me at the start of the year you'd be at the halfway mark four wins and a draw, we would have taken that. But then on the flipside, where we're sitting now, to go in with five wins and a draw, you're going to take that too," he said.
"We definitely want to get another win and it is definitely a big game. There's been three or four coaches that have been talking about those eight-point games and I think this is another one of them."
Barellan hope to welcome back Jake Whyte, Jack Hillman and Mitch Hawker after the bye, while Ryley Conlan returned from a short overseas stint against the Hawks last weekend.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Download our app from the Apple Store or Google Play
- Bookmark dailyadvertiser.com.au
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters