THERE'S no beating around the bush, it's a massive task.
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Those are the words of Bathurst Bushrangers Outlaws co-coach Steve Grundy as he contemplates the task that lies in wait for his men this Saturday - beating the Dubbo Demons in Dubbo.
It is a game the currently fifth-placed Outlaws must win in order to keep their hopes of qualifying for the Central West AFL finals alive.
With three rounds remaining the Demons hold a four-point buffer over Outlaws and a better percentage, but if that gap increases any the fate of the Bushrangers' outfit will rely on other results.
"The way we're looking at it is it could be a season-defining game," Grundy said.
"To travel to Dubbo that late in the season is always going to be tough, historically it is a tough trip, but there is a lot of belief around out camp. We are sort of saying 'Who cares what has happened in the past? This is this Saturday.'
"You don't play footy just to win, but finals footy is nice at the end of the day. Bot teams are in the same spot and this realistically could decide who makes that top four.
"They are very tough at home, they play that ground very well, so we've got to be up for that game. There's no beating around the bush, it's a massive task, they're a great team, I just can't wait for it to be honest."
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The Outlaws, who beat the Demons by two points when meeting at George Park earlier this season, will be boosted by some returning players.
But even with a stronger squad for the match, Grundy feels his men will still need to maintain their intensity throughout.
"We've rallied all the boys, everyone is really keen and we'll be as close to full strength as we can possibly get," he said.
"For us, more important than anything is just staying in the game for the whole four quarters. We've had games when we've come out of the blocks brilliantly, but you have a quite 10 minutes in the third or fourth and that has come back to bite us.
"Our focus will be on being in the game from start to finish and working on those little things, our structure, protecting that footy and using it really well."
Opening bounce is at 2.30pm.