With their season teetering on the edge, the Wolves will receive a much-needed boost with the return of their "energiser bunny" Marcus Beattie for Saturday night's clash with Manly.
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The speedy forward - who has been travelling overseas - is set to make his first appearance in red and white this NSW Men's NPL season when Luke Wilkshire's men head back to WIN Stadium.
It's a crucial clash for the Wolves, who sit ninth on the table, 10 points behind sides battling for a top-five finish. The hosts are preparing for a tough battle with the competition leaders, the on-field return of Beattie providing a rise in morale for his teammates who will be missing Nikola Djordjevic due to suspension while Josh Macdonald remains under an injury cloud.
"We've missed Marcus, he's the energiser bunny," coach Wilkshire said.
"He's got an engine like no one else, he's got the passion and desire like no one else, so to have him back in the squad is fantastic."
Standing in the Wolves' way is a strong Manly opponent, who sit in top spot.
However, Wilkshire's side has shown in the past fortnight that they can match it with the best, escaping with draws against APIA Leichhardt and Sydney Olympic.
"There's no such thing as an easy league in this game. For me, it's important that we're at our best and we're going to need to be," he said.
"We've played against each other and I've had a look at a couple of their recent games, but I think we've shown with the results against most of the top teams that we can compete with any team in this league."
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