Yarraville Footscray is all set for another Bowls Victoria division 1 promotion bid.
The Bulldogs earned promotion to the premier division two years ago but their time at the top last summer was tough.
They were relegated and forced to make an immediate return to the second tier.
They are hellbent on making it a short stay as they strive once again for a place among the best teams in Victorian bowls.
The Bulldogs could not be in a better position entering the final round of the regular season after moving to the top of the ladder on Saturday with an 80-66 blitz of Edithvale that yielded a maximum 18 points, in the process dislodging Glenroy from first place.
Bulldogs skip Wayne Roberts said his side would be thinking big when finals arrive on Saturday week.
“I’m confident that we can win our section,” he said.
“That’d be our goal, and then to go on and play one of the other section winners to win our way into premier league.”
The minor premiership will not be handed to Yarraville Footscray on a platter, with the Bulldogs still needing to take care of business against Moonee Valley in the final round at Francis Street on Saturday.
The Valleys will enter the match full of confidence after beating Glenroy on Saturday.
But the Bulldogs are in form too and riding a four-game win streak.
Roberts credits the success of the Bulldogs to depth.
He said he easily could draw on at least eight players in the second side to play in the top side if needed.
“No one is set in concrete in the top side – that’s what I keep telling them,” Roberts said. “If they don’t perform, chances are someone will take your spot.
“As a club, you need the side underneath you to be winning and putting pressure on your top side. If the second side is not doing any good, you haven’t really got anywhere to go to look for players.”
The stability of the skips is another key factor for the Bulldogs.
The heads of their four rinks, including Roberts, Jamie Pearce, Alan Dove and Ray Coulter, have been unchanged all summer.
“Our top-end players have played pretty good,” Roberts said.
Meanwhile, Altona has officially claimed the minor premiership in premier division.
The A’s have an unassailable 24-point lead at the top of the ladder after an 80-61 win over MCC Kew Sports.
In division 2, Williamstown has moved into the top four of its section after a 100-61 thrashing of Melton.
Altona Sports locked up a home semi-final with an 88-73 win over Flemington/Kensington.
Rosamond kept its miniscule finals hopes alive with an 88-67 victory over wooden-spooner Sunshine City.
