THE Crows will go head-to-head with Mangoplah Cookardinia United-Eastlakes (MCUE) in one of their biggest battles of the season to date on Saturday.
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Leeton-Whitton is currently second on the ladder, one game behind MCUE.
The Crows faced MCUE in their second game of the season earlier this year, going down by 22 points in wet and heavy conditions.
This weekend the Goannas will travel to Leeton Showground where the Crows are hoping to reverse their fortunes from their first encounter.
Leeton-Whitton is coming off the back of a four-point victory over Griffith last weekend, while MCUE were easy winners over Collingullie-Glenfield Park.
Meline knows his side will need to be on the front foot early if they are to take down the ladder-leaders.
“The boys are ready for the challenge,” he said.
“They are going pretty well at the moment, but I wouldn’t say it’s a ‘critical’ game.
“It’s only the second game of the second round.
“We’re just focusing on getting the win and moving on to the next game after that.
“We know Mango are probably the yardstick of the competition at the moment, so it’s going to be a tough game.”
Despite some players pulling up sore after last week’s physical game with the Swans, Meline was expecting to have everyone on deck come Saturday.
If the Crows deliver a win on Saturday they will be on equal points on top of the ladder with MCUE.
Meline said his players were not focusing on the numbers, but were just hoping to get a win on the board.
“There’s probably a bit we can take from the game earlier in the year, but it was a wet day in heavy conditions,” Meline said.
“It’s going to be completely different again this weekend.
“No doubt it will be tough, but we’re confident we can get the job done.”
A team effort will be needed to combat the young and fast running side that MCUE puts on the paddock each week.
“We’ll need our older guys to really be leading on the field.
“Our younger blokes will have to step up to combat Mango’s pace,” Meline said.
“We’ll need to shut down their spread.
“They do that really well, so we’ll need to shut them down.
“Mango are a quality side and last year’s runners-up. We need to be on the front foot for the whole game and be consistent.”
MCUE will also likely have a full list to choose from and will welcome back key player Mitch Daniher.