Eagles fly towards top five after win
COLAC coach Kane Leersen was left to lament basic errors and a lack of contributors after the Tigers slumped to a loss that leaves their spot in the top-five precariously placed.
Leersen conceded last week’s nailbiting nine-point loss to St Mary’s drained his side, but was offering no excuses for Saturday’s flat effort against Newtown & Chilwell.
The Tigers were goalless in a sluggish opening term, and conceded four goals to start the second half, looking every bit a side which had been in a dogfight with one of the competition’s benchmarks a week prior.
“We threw a lot at St Mary’s last week and didn’t quite get over the line, and right from the first bounce we felt vulnerable,” Leersen said.
“Credit to Newtown — they’ve improved from earlier in the year and I’m sure they’ll be a handful for a lot of sides over the next six weeks.
“It (last week) was definitely an emotional drainer. At the end of the day it’s a marathon and you’ve got to keep fronting up week in week out.”
The Colac coach, who will be sharing the role with current Geelong Amateur cocoach Rowan McSparron next year after an announcement earlier in the week, said his side “got exposed” and will not be shying away from the task ahead.
“At the end of the day, there’s no real excuses, they were the better side,” Leersen said. “Right across the ground we didn’t have many winners at all. We couldn’t put any scoreboard pressure on when we had the opportunities and guys fumbled at crucial moments — they’re basic errors but they add up.”
The defeat shunts Colac from fourth place to fifth, with only percentage keeping them ahead of sixth-placed Bell Park.
“It’s not ideal and it’s just going to be a test of resilience for a lot of the guys. It’s not an ideal day at the office, but that’s footy and you have these tough weeks,” Leersen said.