Will Bunt is an experienced campaigner so when he claims the Dubbo Demons will field one of its strongest forward lines this weekend you know he’s serious.
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The Demons mentor has had a tough time selecting a lineup in recent weeks with a host of injuries meaning he’s been forced to fill gaps rather than pick the strongest side available.
But after the bye last week a number of players have regained fitness, leaving Bunt excited for this weekend’s clash with the Bathurst Giants at South Dubbo Oval.
“This week we’e picked a good side and we’ve gone for speed,” he said.
I think they (Giants) are a pretty good side and a danger. They’ve recruited pretty well and are very competitive so this is a big game for us.
- Will Bunt
“We’ve got a lot of young guys with real pace o the edges and then Mick Daly at fullback, Ben Madigan at centre half back, Terry at centre half forward, pushing into full forward so there’s a good balance and those guys can have a settling influence across the field for those younger guys.
“But we’ve got a strong forward line. One of the strongest I’ve seen.”
With Terry Lyons and Brendan Garlett back in the side, those two join Jono Naden, coming off a seven-goal performance against Cowra, and Bevan Charlton-White in the forward line while the returning Nathan Carroll and Jayden Wallace add more depth.
“It’s a really, really strong forward line and it will be really hard for Bathurst to match up against,” Bunt said.
Bunt and assistant coach Shayne Wilesmith were forced to leave a handful of players out this week, something they haven’t had to do in some time, but it couldn’t have come at a better time.
The Demons, are currently in a share of third spot with the Orange Tigers on 20 points while the Giants are lurking in fifth, just four points back.
The Giants struggled last season but have been competitive this year and some shrewd mid-season signings has strengthened them more.
“Orange is playing Cowra and you’d expect them to win so if we we don’t get the win we could fall into a real battle for fourth with the Giants, and we don’t want that,” Bunt said.
“I think they (Giants) are a pretty good side and a danger. They’ve recruited pretty well and are very competitive so this is a big game for us.”
In other Central West AFL matches this weekend, the struggling Cowra Blues host the Orange Tigers while the Rebels and Outlaws meet in a Bathurst Bushrangers derby.
Saturday’s match starts at 2.30pm.