Colac’s Shane Theodore, left, could line up against former Geelong champion Brad Ottens at Central Reserve.

COLAC Tigers will come up against former Geelong star Brad Ottens after the three-time AFL premiership player avoided suspension this week.

Ottens, who joined Newtown and Chilwell this season after retiring from the top level, faced a Football Geelong tribunal after officials cited him in the Eagles’ win against Bell Park last round.

Umpire Davin Reid reported the 32-year-old ruckman-forward for striking Dragons coach Tim Sheringham, but the report did not stand after it was found there were inconsistencies between the evidence and video footage.

Colac coach Matt Gibson said the towering footballer would provide a big test for his defenders, with Eagle Sandy Robinson taking the bulk of the ruck work.

“Last time our pressure through the middle and forward was okay but not at the level to help our backman out, winning ball through the middle will be critical,” Gibson said.

“And we need to defend well and limit their forwards like Ottens, Jay Bett and even David Nye’s been kicking a few goals,” he said.

“Whether Lochie Veale, Shane Theodore or even Paul Presani gets a go on Ottens, we’ll just wait and see.

“They’ve got quite a few goalkickers we’ve got to make sure we cover off on.”

The Eagles travel down the highway to Central Reserve in top form on the back of an eight-game winning streak, which started with a 59-point victory against Colac in round seven.

Newtown and Chilwell have notched up wins against finals-bound teams Bell Park and St Josephs in recent weeks.

“I think it’s a good challenge this time of year, they’re red hot at the moment and we’re playing reasonable footy,” Gibson said.

“It’ll be a good challenge for us to see if we can compete with these top sides and chip away for another win,” he said.

Gibson faced a selection headache last night to fit Andrew Kelly back into the in-form line-up after Kelly missed last round’s 124-point win against Grovedale.

Tags: Football