Anakie coach keen to capitalise on end-of-season form
ANAKIE coach Chris Moore says it is crucial his side takes its late-season form into 2020 after causing a GDFL boilover on Saturday.
The Roos turned the league’s finals race on its head with a 41-point win over fifthplaced Winchelsea, continuing the strong form that has delivered three wins from their past four matches.
Moore said the club has made a concerted effort to end the season well after a sluggish start to 2019.
“The last six-week block I’ve been really happy with. We’ve turned our season around. It’s just unfortunate it was too late before we did,” Moore said.
“But for the club going forward it was good to get a good six or seven games in before the end of the year.
“After we played everyone this year, our win/loss record wasn’t good. Our goal was to really reverse the scores the second time around.
“We were lucky to do that against East Geelong, I think we turned around a 140-point difference against Geelong West and then yesterday was about a 120-point difference.”
The Roos were led by Jordan Kavanagh, Blayne Sharp and Jake Butcher, while Dan Weigl, Daniel Green and Bailey Ettridge all kicked two goals in the memorable win.
Will Ford bagged two of Winchelsea’s three goals in the 3.8 (26) to 10.7 (67) loss.
Alex Gubbins and Michael Bourdouvalis were named as best-on-ground for the Blues.
“It was our best win for the year, I’d say,” Moore said.
“Our good players played OK, but they weren’t exceptional. It was more the kids that we’ve been blooding over the past two to three years who really stood out.
“So going forward that’s what we need — not our topend talent shining all the time.”
Anakie finishes its 2019 season against a finals-bound Bannockburn.
“It’s extremely important for us to finish off. You’re only as good as your last game, so it’s about the mindset going forward into the future, and we want to beat sides that are playing finals football,” he said. THOMSON spread its goalscoring load, dispatching of Bell Post Hill by 71 points at home on Saturday.
Leading by 44 points at quarter-time, the Tigers continued to build on their lead across the course of the afternoon in the 17.15 (117) to 6.10 (46) win. The Tigers had 10 individual goalkickers, with Luke Forbes and Jared Matheson both bagging three each.
Matheson and Dave McLeish were Thomson’s best, while Bell Post Hill was led by Jack Yates and Daniel Walve. NORTH Geelong did what it had to do, recording a 148point win over Corio.
The Devils kicked their only goal for the match in the second quarter.
Spearhead Mitch Habib finished with nine goals, while Toby Ryan and Tim Schwennesen were named as North Geelong’s best. Sole goalkicker Liam Duffy was Corio’s best. GEELONG West continued its limp to the finish line, belted by Bannockburn at West Oval.
The out-of-sorts Giants, who were seen as a genuine finals contender, will finish well outside the top-five. Saturday’s 3.3 (21) to 17.10 (112) result will do nothing to improve the mood around the club heading into the final round of the year.
Kieran Fulton bagged four goals for the Tigers in the 91point win, while Brent Jacques kicked three. Hayden Spiller and Jack Brauman were the best on the ground.