The Demons will take on the Bathurst Bushrangers Outlaws at South Dubbo Oval but will be without Jono Naden, Nick O’Sullivan, Brendon Garlett and leading goalscorer Bailey Delaney, along with six other players.

Despite the setback, co-coach Will Bunt is confident his team have the depth to take on the competition leading Outlaws.

One thing moving in the Demons’ favour is the home ground advantage. The match was supposed to be played at Bathurst’s George Park but because of the wet weather they have had, the ground has been closed, and the game has been moved to Dubbo. The match will now be played at the earlier time of 10am.

“We’ve got a reasonably strong side on paper it presents the players that are present to cement a spot for later in the season,” Bunt said.

“We could have a bit of an issue in the midfield because Jono and Nick are two of our three onballers but I believe the other guys can do the job.”

Last time the teams met, the Outlaws handed the Demons their fourth straight loss, winning 14.11-95 to 10.7-67. It was the last loss the Demons would have before starting their current streak.

“They only got up by 30 points which I thought was a pretty good result at the time and was right before we started our winning,” Bunt said.

“If we can get a win against them this time, we will have beaten every side in the competition and beaten the top three sides in three straight games.”

The coach said he was also confident that if his side could get a win against the Outlaws, they would be able to extend their streak, maybe to double figures.

“We don’t want to get complacent but if we win this game, then our next three are against Orange, the Giants and Young, the bottom three teams. They are games that we really should win so we could get to 10,” he said.

“We have already won as many games as we have won in the previous three seasons so it is looking really good.”

However Bunt wouldn’t be drawn on the possibility of the Demons winning their first premiership since 2008.

“It’s too early for that. We are aiming to finish in the top three for that home semi-final and after that, we will see what happens. It’s important we not get ahead of ourselves,” he said.

With the recent success, Bunt said the club was enjoying a new-found respect within the community. “We have been getting a lot of comments and feedback from people we don’t normally hear from. It’s been really nice,” the coach said.

The Dubbo Demons will host the Bushrangers Outlaws from 10am on Saturday.