Liam Youl has recovered from a football-related injury to be picked for the Panthers’ must-win clash with Merrivale on Saturday.

Panthers coach Alastair Templeton said Youl and the in-form Ben Rantall were key inclusions.

“Ben has been huge with the ball. He’s just getting better and better as he finds that rhythm for us,” Templeton said.

“Liam was hitting his straps before he got the footy injury and that’s kept him out. We’re happy to have him back in.”

Templeton said his men were finding their groove and were satisfied with their form.

However, he was wary of Merrivale, describing the Tigers’ as “underrated”.

“They’re an even team and they have been all year. They’ve got plenty of contributors and I reckon their best is good enough to beat anyone,” he said.

“You can gauge from their scores and things that they have a few lads in form with the bat and ball. It’s a 50-50 game.

“We’re starting to play more consistently and we’re not letting our bad areas find their way into the game as often, which is important.”

Despite finals approaching, Templeton said he was happy to experiment with new bowling combinations after the success of spin against Port Fairy last week.

“Sammy (Younghusband) and Pauly (Campbell) were sensational,” he said.

“They took seven wickets between them on what was a great batting deck.”