The Deni Rovers are home at Memorial Park against the Bloods from Tocumwal in round 11 of the Picola league tomorrow.

Tocumwal has strength across the grades, which bodes well for some close matches this weekend.

The Bloods have only lost one match in the A-grade netball and are undefeated in the under-13s.

In the football, both junior sides are in the top four, while both of the senior football sides are in 11th.

The Rovers’ senior footballers are in 10th, coming off a 14 point loss to Tungamah, making this a classic eight point fixture for both sides.

Rovers coach Alex Hay said the game against Tungamah was a missed opportunity.

He said the team has to improve on giving a whole game performance.

“Unfortunately, it was another game that we let slip just from a few patches where we weren't able to execute in critical moments.

“The contest was always going to be really important, and something that we emphasised during the week.

“It's certainly a strength of theirs, and they just edged us out in that area.

“It’s disappointing because we have shown that it’s something that we're capable of - matching the best teams. It just shows the importance of doing it consistently.

“Having said that, in the second half when we increased the tempo and got our running game going, we looked to be in control. Unfortunately, it was just a case of too little, too late.

“But I'm really proud of our team that we were able to fight it out.

“The challenge is putting it together over four quarters, which is something that we're continually working on.”

Tocumwal present a challenge for the Rovers, with both teams having lost three games by four goals or less this season.

Hay said the Rovers will need to prepare for a close contest.

“It's going to be another really tough battle, and similar to Tungamah in the sense that they are able to provide some real intensity around the contest and have some class on each line.

“There’s a few areas that we discussed on Tuesday night that we need to address, but in those areas we feel like we can make amends pretty quickly.

“I think it'll be a big test for the midfield battle.

“If we are able to get good field position, then we are capable of setting up well behind the ball.

“Having said that, I think our back seven has been outstanding over the last month, and we've been able to get some good rebound from there.

“It's just another exciting challenge that we will prepare our best for.”

An added hurdle for the Rovers this week, Hay said, is multiple injuries resulting from last week’s game.

“We'll see how the boys pull up Thursday (at training, held after the Pastoral Times went to print).”

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Sunday, 18th May 2031

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