This week’s clash between Ballarat Football League rivals Melton South and Bacchus Marsh is looming as an eight-point game.
Come the end of the season, the Panthers and Cobras are expected to be fighting for the same spots in the lower half of the BFL’s top six.
The pair met once last season, with Melton South coming out on top by one point in a thrilling encounter.
Melton South coach Mark Pedersen knows his young side will need to be at its best for the contest.
“We’ll be looking at it as a winnable game,” Pedersen said. “One thing I have to get used to with this young side is that our good is going to be very good and our bad might be very bad at some times. A lot of it depends on how they pull up.”
When Pedersen took on the top job at the Panthers late last year, he was charged with helping the club’s young stars reach the next step in their development.
He may have only coached one game, but early indications are all positive.
Following on from an encouraging off-season, Melton South had a round one draw against Melton and already looks like a stronger outfit than the one that finished second-bottom in 2014.
“It’s pretty rewarding as a coach to see the boys put in all that effort and execute the game plan precisely,” Pedersen said of the round one performance.
“We’ve got rules that we go by and everyone has to play their role, and they did that.
“While I was disappointed not to get the win, I was still very proud of their effort.”
The only negative throughout the early stages of the season has been injuries to Craig Searle and Matt Steel, with both expected to miss at least a month of football.
One player who has made a great start to the year is key forward Frank Holzer.
Holzer has put his hand up to fill the void left by departing coach and former Panthers’ full forward Mathew Sutton. He booted seven goals in round one and almost won the match off his own boot.
“He’s definitely our main forward and has had a really good pre-season,” Pedersen said. “We have some other ways we can free him up and help him out as well. We will try and execute them.”
While he won’t be available for this weekend’s clash, the Panthers are almost ready to unleash one of their off-season recruits.
Former Coburg VFL and Romsey RDFL player Blake Henderson is expected to be back in the coming weeks after recovering from injury.
