Coach Adam Matheson on South Rovers' 2021 WDFNL finals chances

The Lions occupy fifth spot on percentage with two Warrnambool and District league home-and-away rounds to play.

Russells Creek is nipping at its heels.

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But South Rovers, with Adam Matheson at the helm, plays two opponents below it on the ladder - Timboon (ninth) and Old Collegians (seventh) - on the run home.

Creek's draw is more confronting - fourth-placed Merrivale and third-placed Panmure.

Matheson wants his players to focus on the task at hand.

"We don't approach it any differently, it's the old cliché 'one week at a time'," he said.

"We won't worry about round 18 until we get through round 17. We have Timboon at Timboon and that is never an easy task."

The Warriors are also locked on 20 premiership points but their percentage, which is just 57, has all but ruled them out of the finals race.

"Old Collegians beat us last time we played them," Matheson said.

"They are a good, young side and when they get their tail up they're hard to stop.

"But we can't worry about them until we play round 17."

South Rovers' best is when it plays with flair.

Matheson hopes they can display it on the run home.

"Our good football is when we play an up tempo brand and change the angles," he said.

"When we do that, put pace on the footy, we have some good targets up forward (who can capitalise)."

But it's defence where the Lions are laying the foundations.

They have only conceded 100 or more points in three of their 12 games this season.

"Our back six has been very tight and outside of the Merrivale game, we haven't been scored heavily against so that helps with percentage as well," Matheson said.

"Tom Wilson has been the key defender down there. He is one of our assistant coaches and Kieran Timms and Kevin Moloney have been really solid.

"We have a seven-man rotating system which has been pretty consistent all year."

South Rovers are coming off a loss to premiership fancy Kolora-Noorat.

It was a game played in wet conditions which brought the best out of some of its emerging players.

"We had a couple of young fellas who stood up in very trying conditions - Sam Hodgins, Jack Dowd and Eamon Dowd," Matheson said.

"They played really well for young kids in their first year of senior footy really."

Timms (quad) and Caleb McNaughton (concussion) were hurt. McNaughton will miss round 17 under the concussion protocols.