Tara Murray
Melton may have had a bit of a different year from what it would have liked in the Ballarat Football League, but the team is still the team to beat.
Having played all but one team so far, the Bloods are on top of the ladder with one loss for the season and are a game clear of three other teams.
Coach Aaron Tymms said they had been happy for the most part of the season.
“Obviously we had a bit of a blunder a couple of weeks ago against Darley, but it is good to be back on track,” he said.
“We know that we aren’t playing our best footy and Darley was too good on the day. We’ve had a little bit of a different year with injuries and what not.”
Tymms said they had struggled to get continuity in their side with players in and out of the side.
He said if they could get that right, they were confident that they would again be in the mix.
“Our depth is really good and we have lots of kids,” he said. “When they are coming up they are not out of place.”
Two players who won’t feature any time soon are Brett McIntyre and Liam Carter.
McIntyre is out for 10 weeks and they hope to have him back in the back end of the year, while Carter might be available for finals, but Tymms said it was highly doubtful.
The Bloods have the weekend off due to interleague, but the timing was less than ideal according to Tymms.
“We had two weeks off, one week and then off again,” he said.
“We play one game in five weeks.
“We’ve been training on Saturdays and stuff to keep fit and body ready. I don’t like the byes to be honest, but with a few injuries it’s nice to freshen a few guys up.”
The Bloods next week face Lake Wendouree, which sits second bottom.
Tymms said they would likely welcome back three players and is hopeful that they can get the others back as the season goes on and stay fit.
Jack Watkins, who played his first game for the club in the last round, will be out with North Melbourne back in action in the Victorian Football League.
Tymms said it was nice for him to get the opportunity to play with his brother, but they didn’t think they would see him again this season.
