The Kangaroos will not play finals this year, sitting in 12th spot on the table with only 12 premiership points, but have winnable games against Undera and Rushworth in coming weeks.
They beat Dookie United on Saturday on the back of having 10 more scoring shots and through the brilliant contribution of the sons of former club legend Wayne Cowley — Connor and Ryley.
Connor Cowley, who played with Merrigum last season, kicked three goals in a best-on-ground performance. He interchanged in attack and the midfield with his brother.
Two or three wins in the final five weeks, given the clubs they face in the final five weeks of the season, could see the Kangaroos climb as high as eighth on the ladder if they can improve their percentage.
On Saturday, having beaten Violet Town by 47 points the previous weekend, the team kicked five goals in the second term after trailing by seven points at the first change.
They built on the eight-point half-time lead by kicking five goals to two after half-time and won the game by 25 points.
Coach Brendan Baumann said the focus for the remainder of the year was to win as many games as possible, even against higher ranked teams such as Tallygaroopna and Stanhope, to build into season 2025 and show the club was going in the right direction.
Simon Tomasini played his first senior game for the season, adding experience down back and supporting captain Harry Browning-Briese.
Joe Jackson added to the experience in defence, playing his best game for the club at centre half back and credited with half a dozen intercept marks in the last quarter.
Tom Werner played across half back and produced his best game for the club, while at the opposite end Jay Wesley played a defensive forward role to lock the ball inside the Kangaroos’ forward 50m arc.
“He got reward for effort in the last quarter when he took a fantastic mark on the lead, went back and kicked the sealer for us,” Baumann said.
