But it couldn't be any more the opposite for North Warrnambool Eagles.

Adam Dowie's side is brimming with confidence after stunning top-three rival South Warrnambool in a 30-point rout at Friendly Societies' Park on Saturday in a result which all but sealed a double chance for the Bushfield-based club.

The absence-depleted Eagles - who played without star forward Dylan Parish for a half due to hamstring tightness - produced an effort Dowie dubbed "in his top-five wins" as North Warrnambool coach.

More than 10 millimetres of rain lashed Warrnambool and was ever-present throughout the match as it descended into a muddy slog. "Our intent and our commitment with the ball in dispute (was excellent). It was one of those games where our set-up, just around the ball, and maybe another kick away was really good," Dowie said.

"That's in my top-five wins I reckon we've had at North, well and truly. They're good opposition but I just thought we played the conditions really well.

"We've still got a lot of young players in our side but they were really strong over the ball. I thought we used it really well, we didn't just dump it. We also didn't overuse it. We didn't just kick it long - we kicked it short and we changed angles and played how we want to play."

Dowie said his players demonstrated strong game sense and intelligence. He said while his side did use one from time to time, it wasn't hellbent on a defensive press and didn't practise it religiously.

The multiple Hampden league premiership coach said North Warrnambool Eagles, who have now defeated both flag favourite Koroit and third-placed South Warrnambool, would prioritise recovery leading into next Saturday's clash with Warrnambool.

"With that win, we've got a double chance locked and loaded. That's huge. We can adjust our training a little bit," he said.

"We've been sort of looking at training extra nights. Now, we can afford to put a bit of load into the players. It might affect us in the short term but in the long-term, it's what we wanted to do."

South Warrnambool coach Mat Battistello said his side was "beaten by what we know" which was a positive but lamented the Roosters' efforts in the contest.

"They were certainly better than us in that regard," he said. "They're clearly a very, very good side, especially in those conditions. It's a good preparation for them playing at The Pond next week."

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