How relaxed Werribee Tigers coach John Lamont and his players will be this weekend is going to be dictated by the result of the Geelong-Essendon VFL clash on Friday night.
If Essendon manages to cause an upset, Lamont and company will be comfortable in the knowledge they will be a part of the finals this season. But if Geelong holds true to form, it will make for an extremely nervous 48 hours.
The Tigers would then have the unenviable task of travelling to Frankston on Sunday, needing a win to secure a finals berth.
PICTURE GALLERY: Werribee v Sandringham
That has banana peel written all over it for a side which has endured its share of hiccups in recent weeks.
The two-faced Tigers went down to Sandringham by 20 points at Avalon Airport Oval on Saturday.
A third home loss in a row has left the Tigers shaky in eighth spot on the ladder and in danger of missing the finals. But when the Tigers are up and about, their best football can leave opposition teams for dead.
They showed glimpses of it in the second quarter against the Zebras when they were more ferocious at the contest, transferring the ball quicker to the forwards and cutting down on congestion.
It was only fleeting because the inconsistent Tigers went away from the brand of football that helped them construct a nine-point lead at the game’s mid-point.
It was one-way traffic the Zebras’ way for most of the second half, barring a three-goal burst from the Tigers in the final term that made it an interesting finish.
But Trent Dennis-Lane had already inflicted the knock-out blows, feasting on Werribee’s defensive breakdowns that offered him plenty of space to run into open goals.
The crumbing forward finished with four goals, all in the second half.
Tireless ruckman Daniel Currie was the standout for the Tigers.
The big man not only took care of his ruck responsibilities, but offered plenty of get-up-and-go at ground level. He also pushed forward to be a marking option, finishing with two goals.
Jamie Macmillan was a welcome addition to the Tigers’ line-up, returning to football after a long injury lay-off with a fractured fibula.
Macmillan worked hard to get into defensive position to detonate the Zebras’ forward thrusts and offered plenty of rebound out of the defensive 50.
Ben Warren was the Tigers’ leading goalkicker with three, while Tim McGenniss and Mason Wood kicked two each.
Reigning best-and-fairest Jarred Moore has been handed sole captaincy of the Tigers for the remainder of the season after the club used an 11-man leadership group for the first 18 rounds.
