Thorman explained while the Roos sit 10^th on the ladder with only two wins, they’ve proven to be a capable team and will be out to finish the year on a high for coach Adam Hall who indicated he will stand down after this season.

“They have a similar team to last year but for some reason they’re under-performing at the moment,” he said.

“I don't want it to come back and bite us when we play the lower teams, so we need to make sure we’re definitely not complacent and don’t underestimate these teams.”

Nearly back at full-strength the ‘Pickers welcome the return of Aaron Slater and Blake Hewitt. Thorman said along with the inclusion of Under 18s Jake Walker and Jesse Corcoran, the ‘Pickers are a strengthened team.

“I know they've replaced key players but they’re holding their own,” he said. “Aaron’s back from his representative duties and he’s fighting fit and ready to go.”

But in what seems to be a regular occurrence this season, Young has lost another player to injury. Jayke Hogan obtained an ankle injury in Round 14 against Coota and will potentially be sidelined for the remainder of the regular season. Boyd Strickland will fill this position.

Thorman blamed the recent spate of injuries on the poor condition of fields across Group Nine.

“When players’ ankles sink in, paired with the force of a tackle, there’s no movement in the ground so it’s always likely there’s going to be some damage,” he said.

“Same with Ross Hewitt who’s still out from a Round 12 injury, but I don’t want to rush these things because it’s becoming the business end of the season.”

Thorman – who will serve his last week of suspension – is expecting another quality defensive display from his team this weekend who’ve only conceded one try in their last three games.

“We need to make sure we get good field position with our kicks and get in the arm wrestle early,” he said.