Second half surge sees Trafalgar home

Trafalgar v Nyora

Trafalgar used a big second half to defeat Nyora 16.20 (116) to 6.7 (43).

It took the better part of a quarter for the Bloods to get used to the smaller ground at Nyora, and the Saints had the better of the play early on, getting to the ball first and using it well, taking a one goal lead into the first break.

The Heylen brothers, Dylan and Jesse were picking off anything coming forward for Trafalgar, but it was after quarter time that the Bloods kicked into gear.

Coming off the bye, Trafalgar finally found their feet and were able to hit up Damian Mann and Matthew Swenson, while controlling possession.

The side had a few players missing from last week, which caused coach Chris Kyriacou to experiment, something he will do more of as they try to find balance between the back, mid and forward lines.

“It was a bit of a trial, we had a few out, so we played a few guys out of position. We are trying to find that balance, we still haven’t found it just yet,” Kyriacou said.

At halftime, the Bloods led by 12 points, but managed to get off the chain in the second half, booting 10 goals to one despite being inaccurate in front of the big sticks, something Kyriacou hopes they can rectify.

“We probably didn’t take our opportunities in front of the goal and kept them in it in patches, we had the yips a bit, but Mann and Swenson stood tall and accounted for it in the end,” he said.

Mann finished with four goals and Swenson three, with Karl Mutke and Chris McIntosh kicking two apiece.

Kyriacou said adjusting to smaller grounds is something they need to address, with their home deck one of the larger ones in the EDFL.

“The adjustment going forward needs to be better at smaller grounds, that’s something we need to get better at in the future” Kyriacou said.

Dylan Farrell worked his way into the contest after quarter time, dominant around the ground in the ruck giving the midfield first use, while Darcy Brock accumulated a lot of footy between the midfield and half forward.

Dom Pinneri found himself in a new role on the wing and adapted wonderfully well, while Mann, McIntosh and David van Schajik rounded out the better players for the Bloods, who will lose Josh Moore next week due to a concussion suffered late in the contest, the new AFL ruling on concussions meaning he’ll have a mandatory 12-day break.

For Nyora, who again started well but fell away, the Heylen brothers were named the two best, able to use their ability to judge the ball to perfection, while Anthony Galley, Nick Male, Kallon Rigby and Aidan Simmons were also terrific. Galley the only multiple goal scorer with a couple for the afternoon.

Trafalgar will host NilmaDarnum on Saturday, while Nyora will have the week off to refresh and reset with the bye.