The high-flying Ibises cruised into third position after engineering a head of steam of late, picking up a win in each of its past six encounters, but now faces a different sort of challenge in a game which could shape the side’s league finish.
The previous meeting between the sides saw a wounded Eaglehawk come from 2-0 down to steal a point away from the host, but the return fixture will ask a different sort of question of Tatura with Truscott Reserve renowned as a notoriously-difficult ground to escape from with a win.
Tatura coach Dom Cricelli seems to have discovered the winning combination in recent times but was not underestimating the threat the host posed at home.
‘‘Everyone is excited, if we can beat Eaglehawk we will move into second but, in saying that, it is not going to be easy,’’ he said.
‘‘We need to get our back four right, with Jarrod Backway possibly out with an injured hamstring.
‘‘But like I have always said, we just need to take it one week at a time.’’
And, with the club only tasting premiership glory on two occasions since its inception, the importance of this weekend’s match-up was not to be taken lightly.
Shepparton South has the chance to sidle up to cross-town rivals Shepparton United in fifth position if it can bank a win at home this weekend against Moama-Echuca Border Raiders.
Coming off the back of a 4-0 battering of Shepparton last week, South is held in good stead ahead of tomorrow’s encounter and would be quietly confident going into the monster match up.
However, taking three points from the Raiders will not be easy as the fourth-placed side boasts one of the competition’s most threatening attacking forces, having scored no less than 45 goals so far this campaign.