News

PLAYING Werribee at Bartercard Oval today represents the "Last Chance Saloon" for a number of experienced Devils and their finals chances.

Devils' coach Daryn Cresswell said yesterday if his side loses today, slipping to a 1-5 win-loss record for the season, it is time to put a line through the season and rebuild for the future.

"The guys realise how important the game is," Cresswell said.

"If we can't win this week we will just have to play more young kids and probably the older guys will get overlooked because we just have to start developing.

"If we don't win this week, our chances of making the finals are pretty slim so we will have to start looking to the future. Blokes like (Ben) Fagan, (Sam) Fielding and (James) Charlesworth will get more opportunities to play at this level."

Werribee has the same win-loss record as the Devils, but while Tasmania is trying to break a four-game losing streak, the Tigers had their first victory last round -- a 100-point belting of North Ballarat.

And Werribee also has the confidence in knowing it has never been defeated by the Devils in Tasmania's six seasons in the VFL, not that coach, former Wynyard, Footscray and Fitzroy centreman Simon Atkins knows why.

"I don't know, wouldn't have a clue and wouldn't even try to guess," Atkins said. Despite facing a new-look Devils line-up, Atkins said his side was ready.

"Five weeks into the season you understand what `Cressa' is trying to do with them," he said.

"You get a bit of a gauge of the players.

"That is what we get paid for, that is what our assistant coaches do. They do a lot of studies on the team so we do enough background with any team to know where they are at."

The Tigers boast a big forward line, with Wayde Skipper at centre half-forward and James Podsiadly playing closer to goal.

But Cresswell said it was not his defence that was causing headaches.

"Every week we have played we've had equal inside 50s or more but we can't kick a score," Cresswell said.

"We just have to get better in that area of our game. Young (Jarrod) Ryan will add a lot to us, he is a proven goal kicker, he is quick and he can jump.

"He is a guy who will give us a lot of energy in there. Bar round one where we played Bendigo and (Ben) Ross played really well, we have had no one able to do that for us."