Bundoora playing-coach Ricky Dyson says his side is filled with confidence and won’t give up when it faces Macleod in the 2017 Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 grand final.
The Bulls will go into the contest as the underdog, but are match-hardened ahead of their fourth-successive finals match.
After a long road to get back to the big stage, Dyson is eager by the prospect of playing off in another Division 1 grand final – his side’s first since its 2013 success.
“It’s a really exciting time for the footy club,” Dyson told NFL.org.au.
“We’re hopeful and very confident in the playing group that will be running out on Saturday.
“Earlier in the season we identified Macleod as the best team in the competition. They’ve shown that over a long period of time.
“Come Saturday we’re going to give it everything we’ve got and we won’t be leaving any stones unturned.”
Despite playing two extra finals than its upcoming opponent and only having a six-day break heading into the decider, Dyson disagreed his side was at a disadvantage and remains confident that Bundoora’s form has been good enough to warrant a premiership win.
“Obviously it would be nice to have a little bit more of a rest, but that’s the way it’s been for a long time now,” he said.
“The last time we won a premiership, we played four finals. We played on the Sunday and then backed up on Saturday.
“We were good enough to win on that day, so if you’re good enough it doesn’t matter what the break is, you’ve just got to front up and get the job done.”
Macleod was victorious by 62 points when the two sides met in Round 8 at Yulong Reserve, however that margin was reduced to just one point in a Round 14 thriller at De Winton Park.
Both midfield groups produced attacking performances in their last encounter and while Dyson expects much of the same on Saturday, he conceded his side needed to get on top of Macleod in the centre.
“I think probably the midfield is the place the game is going to be won,” he said.
“They’re a really hard in and under team and they’re complimented by some really slick ball users on the outside.
“They’ve got a really good mix. I’m a strong believer that the team that wins the battle in the middle of the ground is the one that will come away with the win at the end of the day. It’s a big challenge for both midfields.”
Bundoora isn’t without its selection headaches for decider with Andrew Carmusciano, who has played 17 matches this season but missed the past two finals, one of many players putting his foot in the door for a possible recall.
“We’ll sit down on Tuesday and have a chat about that,” Dyson said.
“We’ll see where the squad’s at in terms of how they pulled up on the weekend. There are a lot of guys who have been fantastic throughout the year and have put their names up for selection.
“The beauty of it is we have a number of guys that are ready to come in and make an impact if they get the opportunity.
“With the 22 that runs out on Saturday, we’re confident that they can do the job.”
