Tara Murray
The monkey is off the back for Woodend-Hesket with a Riddell District Football League finals appearance locked in, but the Hawks are hoping for much more.
The Hawks will play finals for the first time since 2009, after a number of near misses in recent seasons.
For coach Josh Pound it’s a relief for not just him, but those who have been at the club for a number of years.
“It absolutely is,” he said. “After the Melton game it was official.
“It’s really good for the supporters who have been around and for the volunteers, who are obviously the unsung heroes.
“To see the joy of those people who have been around forever who don’t show a lot of emotion, come up and give you a hug as they’re happy.”
For Pound now the challenge is changing the mindset of the group from being happy to just playing finals, to being a contender come September.
The Hawks have beaten every team but Diggers Rest this season so far.
“We’ve got ourselves in a position on the ladder to instil that level of belief,” he said. “We can not just be happy with making finals.
“We want to finish in second or third position heading into finals.”
Pound said Diggers Rest’s loss to Riddell showed that they are beatable and that any team can beat any team.
He said they just need to go out there and perform on the day.
“If we’re beaten by a better side on the day and we haven’t played how we would have liked we’d be disappointed,” he said.
“If we put everything out there, anything is possible.”
The Hawks had the bye on the weekend, which Pound said had come at an important time.
He said they were hopeful of getting some players back this week, which would put pressure on the coaching group at selection.
“We’ve had a lot of injuries and a few key players that have been travelling,” he said.
“We won’t take the bye lightly… we’ll look to grain hard and get the guys fit who are looking to get back.”
Pound said they were hoping to get at least one of key forwards Tayte Pears and Tom Gawthrop back, who have both been out injured.
Daniel Davie will be back from overseas and is another expected to boost the forward line.
Finals come early for the Hawks, which face Wallan and Macedon in the run home.
The Magpies are keen to also lock up a top three spot, while the Cats have to keep winning to ensure a finals spot.
“The main aim is to win those games, but we want to try somethings as well,” Pound said.
