Football
3 July, 2026
Roos return to action, take on Ararat
Dimboola’s senior football side returns from its round 10 bye this Saturday when they host league leaders Ararat.
And while the Rats sit on top of the ladder, they have shown a far more vulnerable side than the one that finished the 2025 home and away season undefeated.
However, Ararat are coming off its fifth-straight win, where they overcame Stawell 99-94 courtesy of a match-winning goal from Ben Taylor.
Considering the Rats defeated Dimboola 180-25 in their round two fixture, a big challenge awaits the Roos, but one that coach Andrew Moore is excited to take on.
“Obviously they're a quality outfit, and they've been at their best for a number of years,” he said.
“In terms of what we need to focus on, we have come a long way since the start of the season, which we reflected on a couple of weeks ago, and we'll continue to focus on the controllables of the areas that we have been really highlighting and trying to develop.
“It really does come down to how we approach it.
“We know they're gonna be really hard to beat, but we're up for the challenge and in a really good spot in terms of the areas that we need to continually focus on and improve as a group.”
The team’s improvement was exemplified in recent results, highlighted by a draw with Minyip Murtoa, as well as competitive outings against the Horsham Saints and Stawell Warriors before the bye.
The Dimboola coach identified the team’s work at the contest and their ball movement as key points of emphasis for the side entering the back half of the season.
“The game is won or lost around the contest in country footy,” Moore said.
“You look at the stoppages or general play, and there are a lot of opportunities to win your own ball, so we've been spending a lot of time on that work around the contest.
“It’s not only being able to win your own ball, but also the balance around it is really important, so the structure of how we set up there is crucial.”
“We’re also really trying to emphasise a bit more on where we're kicking the ball, how we're moving the ball.
“We don't want to be easy to play against, and that's an area we highlighted that we need to improve in the first month of the year.
“We've got a lot of improvement still to go ahead, but from round one to now, there are leaps and bounds from where we were.”
As well as reflecting on the season to date, Moore said the bye gave the team a well-earned rest.
“It's always nice to have the ability to freshen up,” he said.
“From both a player mindset and a management one, it’s good to get on top of those little niggles, but also to review internally and work out what to focus on.”
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