Stanhope coach Mark Patten isn’t entirely sure himself.
The Lions leader is battening down the Den’s hatches for the arrival of Mellington and his Violet Town coterie in Kyabram District League’s 13th round and, while there is an elephant in the room which needs addressing, Patten is prioritising his own side’s output ahead of a blueprint to halt the league’s 101-goal baron.
“We need to do the basics right, win at the supply and protect our ball carriers,” Patten said.
“(Mellington) is going to kick goals, but it’s about putting who we think is right on him and respond to what happens.”
“Denis (Stanhope co-coach Denis Grinton) and I aren’t the sort of coaches to flood the backline because of him; we have to kick enough goals to win the game ourselves.”
Violet Town’s 212-point flogging of Tallygaroopna would have any opposition coach scrambling.
Especially when the Towners are first up in a daunting few weeks for Stanhope.
Patten is wary of Stanhope’s grueling fixture for the remainder of July and, while the Lions are far from slouching, ensuring his side doesn't slip out of finals contention is paramount.
“We’re coming into a block of fairly difficult fixtures, but in saying that we’re in a good patch of form,” he said.
“Getting points from these games is crucial for us. We need wins, otherwise we could miss out on the top six.
“We’ve been extremely happy with how our season is evolving, but at the same time there is still a lot of work to be done.”
● Girgarre will be out to regain a winning feeling in its clash with Murchison-Toolamba.
The Kangaroos lost to Undera by 30 points last week in a low-scoring affair, while Murchison-Toolamba may be rusty coming off the bye.
Both sides are in the hunt for finals and a win could have Murchison-Toolamba leapfrog Stanhope and Nagambie to slide into third spot on the ladder.
Merrigum and Undera face off in a battle to keep in touch with the top six.
Undera will hope to extend its winning streak to three games after defeating Girgarre 66-36 last round and Ardmona the week previous.
Shane Crawford’s Ardmona takes on 10th-placed Shepparton East and will look to regain some form against the Eagles, who lost to Lancaster by 144 points last week.
Second-placed Avenel comes up against Longwood after its 83-point demolishing of Dookie United last week, while the Redlegs come off a 232-point thumping by Nagambie.
Reigning premier Nagambie takes on Rushworth at Ironbark Stadium and Dookie, Lancaster and Tallygaroopna have the bye.
● Ben Andonoudis is currently completing work experience with The News.
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