Melton Thoroughbreds have been given a first-hand preview of what to expect in the opening round of Big V men’s division 1 finals.
The Thoroughbreds, who were already guaranteed to finish fourth, played ladder leaders Blackburn on Saturday night.
And they meet them again this weekend for a place in the preliminary final.
The first time the two teams met this season, in round two, the Vikings won by 21 points.
The Vikings, who haven’t lost since round one, won 81-79 on Saturday.
Thoroughbreds coach Julie McCallum said there was a lot to take out of the latest game, despite the result.
“We didn’t play as well as we’d have liked but we showed what we can do,” McCallum said.
“We took it to each other even though nobody was playing for anything.
“There were a lot of encouraging signs and we made them fight all the way to the end.”
With Shane Moroney not playing, the Thoroughbreds struggled to match it with the Vikings for height and were made to pay.
“We were undersized and they out-rebounded us by about 20 rebounds,” McCallum said. “We also killed our chances at the foul line. We were terrible [making just seven of 18 attempts].
“If we get a few more rebounds and shoot better from the foul line we win the game.”
Ivan Harris top-scored for Melton with 18 points, while Jason Todorov and Billy Feben each chipped in with 13.
McCallum said Moroney would return to the side this week.
After achieving their first aim of making the top four, McCallum said the Thoroughbreds, last season’s division one champions, would like to make it back-to-back grand finals.
“The first goal is to win this week and get home finals for as long as possible,” she said. “I think last year will help. Finals is a whole different game as we found out last year.
“The guys are aware of that.”
The Thoroughbreds division 2 youth league side’s season has come to an end.
After sneaking into the finals, the Thoroughbreds suffered a first-up loss, 75-73 against Corio Bay.
Liam Allison top-scored with 17 points for the Thoroughbreds.
