Colac draws first blood in battle with possible finals opponent

COLAC coach Kane Leersen says his side should enjoy a mental advantage should it meet Leopold in an elimination final after prevailing by 17 points on Saturday.

The final scoreline did not tell the full tale, with Colac leading by 56 points at threequarter time before the Lions nailed the last six goals to cut back the final deficit.

But Leersen gave credit to his side for a blistering first half in which it kept Leopold to just two goals with the strong wind.

“We worked really hard and there was a bit of a breeze to one end,” he said.

“It was good to go into three-quarter time 56 points up and a few guys obviously ran out of gas late, but overall the effort was fantastic.

“Our tackle pressure and intensity, and decision-making in tight, we wanted to bounce back from last week against St Mary’s.

“We were obviously disappointing that day and we had a lot to play for and it was good to see a lot of guys respond. We had 22 contributors across the ground which was nice to see.”

Leersen said there was plenty on the line, but his players lifted for the occasion.

“It was a good win; obviously quality opposition and reigning premiers, so it’s good for the younger guys’ belief against a good side,” he said.

“It was an important game for the club; Jacob McGuane’s 200th game and his family have been amazing servants for the club.

“There was definitely a lot of motivation to play another finals contender; we hadn’t played them yet this year, so we were excited to see how we’d go, and the first two quarters we were exceptional.”

While the door remains ajar for Colac to pursue a top- three finish, should the ladder remain unchanged, the Tigers and Lions will meet again in an elimination final.

Leersen said his side would enjoy the psychological edge.

“Definitely, if you’re going to play them again, you’d rather play them knowing you beat them last time,” he said.

“But I’m sure when we come across them again, they’re a great club and got a proud bunch of boys as well, so I’m sure they’ll want to put in a better showing next time.

“As long as we keep controlling what we can control — and that’s to win games — and that’s how the cards fall (a top-three finish), then that would be fantastic.

“It’s a marathon, so we don’t want to peak too early.

“We’ve still got five games so then we’ll reassess where we’re at, but it’s nice the top five has separated themselves from the rest of the field — we can keep things nice and simple and focus on the next game.”