BLUES REGAIN HUNGER TO WIN
WINCHELSEA coach Brendan Forssman knows his side needs to eradicate slow starts from its game after an otherwise strong win over Bell Post Hill.
The Blues conceded the first four goals against the Panthers on Saturday before finding their “appetite for the contest” and powering to a dominant 20.10 (130) to 9.6 (60) win at Myers Reserve.
Forssman estimates midfielder Baden Remmos had close to 40 possessions, despite the increased attention he has received in recent weeks.
The Panthers also had little answers to the dominance of ruckman Mark Blake, who gave the Blues’ on-ballers premium supply for most of the afternoon.
The Blues kicked 20 of the last 25 goals of the game, but Forssman knows they need to start with the right intensity.
“Ten minutes into the first quarter I wasn’t in a great frame of mind as Bell Post Hill kicked the first four goals of the game and I thought, ‘Here we go again’,” Forssman said on The Wash Up yesterday.
“It took us a while to get into the game for some reason and we’ve spoken about that in the last couple of weeks, against Werribee and Belmont, similar things have happened.
“But to the boys’ credit, we started to get an appetite for the contest about 15 minutes into the first quarter and from that point on we were pretty dominant for the rest of the day.
“It’s certainly something we can’t afford to have against sides above us, that 15-20-minute period in games where we just let the opposition do what they want, really.
“From quarter-time we played some really good footy. Our transition from back to forward was much better than it has been in the previous few weeks and we were able to get some scores from some turnovers in our back half, which was really pleasing.
“There was a lot more to like than the previous few weeks, that’s for sure.”
Six points clear inside the top five, Forssman not only wants his team to lock down a finals berth, but also dare to believe a top-three spot is capable.
“That (finals) was the goal before the season even started … so that natural progression (from last year) is to make the finals this year,” he said.
“But as I said to the boys, we’re still in a position where we’re still trying to hunt for that topthree spot as well, with teams above us playing each other in the games later in the season. Destiny is still in our own hands.” IN the major upset of the round, Anakie left East Geelong’s finals aspirations in tatters, winning by 25 points. The Roos outclassed the Eagles at Anakie Reserve to climb from 11th to 10th on the ladder. The Eagles also fell six premiership points out of the top five on the back of Winchelsea’s strong win over Bell Post Hill. Jamie Phillis was influential for the Roos, who were led strongly by Mitch Gavin, Alex Edwards, Luke Wilson and Dan Weigl. For the Eagles, Chris Warwick booted three goals. WERRIBEE Centrals turned the tables on North Geelong in emphatic style, running out 83-point winners. The Centurions were dominant at Keith Barclay Oval, holding the Magpies goalless in the second term to record an easy win, 18.17 (125) to 6.6 (42). Reece Miles kicked four goals and Matt Miller and Ben Leonard three apiece for Centrals, who was led strongly by Aadyn Sleep-Dalton. Mitch Habib kicked three goals for the Magpies, taking his total to 43 for the year. BANNOCKBURN bounced back from last week’s loss to Werribee Centrals, defeating Belmont Lions by 45 points. The Tigers consolidated their place in the top three and maintained a four-point buffer on the Centurions with the confidence-boosting 17.9 (111) to 10.6 (66) victory over the Lions at Victoria Park. Jack Brauman was instrumental for Bannockburn, while Tom Gillies kicked four goals and Matt Tyquin kicked three. For the Lions, Sam Jones slotted four majors and Jack Baker was impressive.