Merrivale's Peter Makarona isn't too interested in handballing - just ask him or his teammates.
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But the 30-year-old loves being back in the Tigers' forward line after a three-year sojourn in Western Australia.
Makarona's last game for Merrivale was the 2016 Warrnambool and District league reserves grand final, which saw him boot two goals and his side triumph over Dennington by 30 points in a low-scoring affair.
The small forward booted 37 goals in 21 games for the reserves that season.
And Makarona picked up where he left off in 2019, slotting four majors across Merrivale's two opening wins against Russells Creek and Panmure.
"It's great to be back," he said. "I've got lots of good memories here.
"The team is much younger now and coming back as an older player the biggest change is probably just the extra soreness each week."
Makarona guessed he might have laid off just the one handball so far - who the lucky recipient was he couldn't recall.
But he said his main aim each week was to heap pressure on the opposition in their defensive half.
Makarona also has a clear goal for the Tigers.
"We definitely want to make the top four and then who knows," he said.
Merrivale coach Jason Rowan said Makarona has bolstered the side by adding another focal point to an already potent forward line.
"We've tried to get more avenues to goal this year," he said. "If you rely on one or two players to kick a winning score, then teams can nullify that easily.
"But Peter's been super. He's a solid body and takes a good grab. Suddenly we've got him, Kyden Jarvis, Josh Britton, myself and the resting midfielders - it's looking pretty dangerous."
Rowan said he was relishing Merrivale's chance to test itself against 2018 grand finalist Old Collegians on Friday. James Fary taking on Josh Reichman could be an enticing match-up, but he said preventing the Warriors' midfielders from hitting the scoreboard would be crucial to a Tigers' victory.
MERRIVALE v OLD COLLEGIANS
Merrivale
B: W. Ryan, S. Barnes, T. Stephens
HB: S. Kelly, J. Fary, T. McLean
C: O. Doukas, J. Wilson , O. Watson
HF: C. Britton, J. Britton, J. Rowan
F: P. Makarona, K. Jarvis, J. Neave
R: M. Boyd, A. Campbell, C. McDonald
Int: W. Flaherty, C. Gale, J. Henderson, J. King
Old Collegians
B: J. Dwyer, D. Beechey, P. Keane
HB: J. Brooks, D. Weel, L. Young
C: B. Rudland-Castles, M. Lynch, S. Thomas
HF: E. Barker, A. Williams, R. Dolphin
F: J. McKenzie, J. Reichman, N. Sheehan
R: S. Lenehan, C. Rix, B. Hibberson
Int: M. Crosier, M. Lambevski, B. Turner-Dwyer
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