IF STATISTICS are anything to go by, Darley will find it extremely difficult to beat Redan on Saturday.
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The Devils' worrying trend of poor performances in road trips to Ballarat this year makes it seem nigh-on impossible that they will knock off the flag favourites.
But when it comes to finals footy, Darley coach Jarrod Edwards is hoping statistics go out the window.
It is no secret that Darley Park is one of the hardest places for travelling Ballarat Football League teams to win a game of footy.
However, when the Devils hit the Western Highway to come to Ballarat, the figures show they have been far from the same dominant outfit.
In their 11 games playing down the eastern end of the highway this season, Darley is unbeaten with an average winning margin of a staggering 76.64 points.
It is a very different story in Ballarat though. Of the six games in Ballarat, they have won just two encounters - against bottom side Sebastopol and eighth-placed Ballarat.
They also lost to Redan, North Ballarat City and Lake Wendouree (the other three sides still in the premiership race) by an average of 39 points on foreign soil.
Given the rest of the finals series will be at Eastern Oval, Edwards acknowledges it is something that has to be addressed immediately, staring with Saturday’s match against Redan.
"History shows we haven't played well in Ballarat, it's no secret," Edwards said.
"I don't know what we put it down to but we have to fix it.”
North City and Lake Wendouree meet at Eastern Oval in Sunday’s semi final.