Joeys pencil in double chance
SOMETIMES you just have to find a way to win — ugly or otherwise.
That’s exactly what St Joseph’s did on Saturday after grinding out a narrow fourpoint win over South Barwon to cement its place in the GFL’s top three.
While it is clear the reigning premier is not currently firing on all cylinders, the equation was simple for them against the gallant Swans.
Win, and the finals double chance is virtually assured.
That was the most important thing for outgoing coach Heath Jamieson, who declared “we’ve got our best footy ahead of us”.
“With Newtown beating Colac last week, South were that one side below that was still probably nipping at the heels somewhat,” Jamieson said after the 10.16 (76) to 10.12 (72) result.
“To get the four points against them today gives us a three-match buffer and we’ve got a couple of winnable games at the back end, so we’d need something to go horribly wrong to not finish top three now.”
Jamieson knows his side still has room for growth this season, admitting “we’ve also probably got a bit of talent in the team who probably aren’t playing to their full potential”.
But despite being a scrappy match, there was no questioning either side’s commitment, and for Joeys to hold on when constantly challenged was a big tick for their mental reserves.
“It was one of those games where you had to grind one out and you have to do that sometimes,” he said.
“Those tough games you learn a lot from. Our players today, in pressure situations, didn’t handle it too well and then on other occasions some players stepped up.”
The contest was a seesawing affair, with the lead changing five times throughout the afternoon as both sides heaped on pressure around the ball.
South Barwon took a threepoint lead into halftime, thanks to defender Jay Lever’s first goal since 2015, but St Joseph’s hit back as expected in the third term.
The Swans had edged out to a 10-point buffer entering red time, before firstly Lucas Anderson and then Cam Tudor (three goals) slotted majors to take a three-point lead and all the momentum for St Joseph’s into threequarter time.
From there, despite Swans forward Andrew Boseley’s fifth goal coming in the final term, St Joseph’s had done enough to hold on by four points in a thrilling finish.
“Our midfield pressure got back to somewhere around where it needs to be,” Jamieson said. “(Brant) Haintz’s game was enormous — if he didn’t win the footy he was putting pressure on the opposition, so I think our setup has improved and we’ve got our best footy ahead of us.”