Under the weight of a number of injuries, the Goulburn Swans' losing skid continued on Saturday, when the club stumbled to an 11.16.82 to 4.5.29 defeat at the hands of the Murrumbateman Eagles.
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The loss is the Swans' fourth on the trot, with their last win coming over the Yass Roos in round seven.
Goulburn coach, Simon Treloar, said that a number of bad injuries to key players, including some damaged shoulders and a broken leg.
"It's mainly just injuries [that have been the problem], we've lost a few boys to injuries over the last few weeks," Treloar said.
"It's been a bit hard with a bit of inexperience out there, but it's been good because it's giving boys a bit of a chance to play footy."
It is not an ideal situation for the Swans to be in as finals approaches; they now sit at fourth on the ladder, behind the Belconnen Magpies, Southern Cats, and the Cootamundra Blues.
But Treloar is focusing on the positives, and knows that the younger members of the team are gaining experience from their time on the field.
"We had a bit of a discussion after the game on the weekend about taking positives out of what's going on and getting around the club and supporting each other and learning," he said.
"We're still a really good team when we play our best football, but we need to find that glue in the next four weeks."
This weekend, the Swans will have a chance to redeem themselves with a fixture against the Yass Roos.
Goulburn has won the last three matches between the two sides, and handed Yass its first victory in 2018 to halt its 10-match winning streak.
"I wouldn't say we've got a lot of confidence, but that's a game we really get fired up for," Treloar said. "We seem to gel a bit better against a team like Yass."
The match will also feature the Swans' annual fundraiser in memory of Patricia Clark, the mother of player Andrew Clark, who passed away from ovarian cancer in May last year.
The money raised from this year's fundraiser will be donated to Ovarian Cancer Australia, and Clark said that last year's effort of $1,373.70 was "exceptional".
"We haven't discussed a specific target, I'd like to be looking north of the $1500 mark if possible," Clark said.
"The amount that we did get last year considering the [very poor] weather was quite exceptional."
Treloar said that the fundraiser "brings out a lot of mateship in the club", and encouraged members of the public to come down and show their support.
The player who displays the best sportsmanship on ground will also be presented with the Patricia Clark Memorial Trophy.
The match will kick off on Saturday July 20 from 2pm at Goodhew Park.
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