The role of the Wyndham City Rhinos in this year’s Victorian Rugby Union second division seems to be clearly defined after Saturday’s 41-3 hammering at the hands of premiership contender Eltham at Mossfiel Reserve.
The Rhinos sit comfortably in the middle tier of the competition but seem simply not ready to take on the big boys.
Rhinos president Ean Drummond told Star Weekly the team was a work in progress under first-year coach Karl Brown.
“It’s been like a changing of the guard,” he said. “We lost all the old heads … it’s a really young squad.
“They’re still working their combinations, while sides like Kiwi Hawthorn and Eltham, which are very disciplined and organised teams, have been playing together for many years.”
The Rhinos will have a nervous ending to the season. They are fourth on the ladder with 33 points, four points ahead of fifth-placed Maroondah.
The two sides will meet at Mossfiel Reserve on Saturday and the Rhinos can lock away a finals berth with a win.
Should the Rhinos lose, their destiny will be out of their hands as they have the bye in the final round a week later.
Drummond is confident the Rhinos will get the job done.
He believes a player such as Conrad Meredith, one of the last remaining players from the Rhinos’ heady era under former coach Darren Taylor, will do everything in his power to ensure a winning end to the home-and-away campaign.
“He’s been a leader both on and off the field,” Drummond said.
Blaine Brown is a key defensive figure for the Rhinos who will need to have an impact if the Maroondah threat is to be overcome.
Two sets of brothers, Michael and John Henry, and Greg and James Forster, will play huge roles in the forward pack.
Irrespective of how this season pans out for the Rhinos, Drummond believes the future is bright.
“We’ve got a fairly young team so it’s a question of their application, really.”
