South Bunbury to head to Busselton to face Magpies in clash of league’s in-form clubs

Two of the hottest teams in the South West Football League are set to meet under Saturday night lights at Sir Stewart Bovell Park on Saturday night. South Bunbury head down the highway on a three-game winning streak, which includes a stunning win over premiership favourites Bunbury, while Busselton are looking to build on last week’s impressive win on the road against Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault. The Magpies fell out of the league’s top five a fortnight ago after a loss to Collie, but their upset win over HBL, their third straight at Brunswick Oval, has them back in the finals spots. South Bunbury coach Stephen Bilcich admitted his side had not had a great run playing the Magpies away from home recently and was keen to put that right. The Tigers have not won in Busselton since 2018, but defeated the Pies in a thrilling finish at Hands Oval earlier this year. “It has not been a happy hunting ground for us down at Bovell Park and we haven’t had a win down there for a while, so it would be nice to go down there and really challenge them,” Bilcich said. “I always have great respect for the way they play and the depth they have at their club. “We expect a huge challenge, and hopefully we are good enough to come out in front at the end of the day.” The Tigers sit in third spot, one game clear of their hosts, and Bilcich said competition for spots up the top were beginning to get tight, with just two games separating first and sixth. “The competition is very even, so each week is a really big challenge,” he said. “Our boys are inviting the -challenge and are looking forward to it, so it’s good, it’s a good attitude that they’ve got.” The Tigers will be without key forward Jordan Strahan for a second consecutive week as he recovers from AC joint injury out of the WA Day derby, and will look to Cody Nelson again this week, on the back of his five-goal effort against Donnybrook.