Rovers win physical contest over Blues
As the halfway mark of quickly approaches, the makeup of the ladder is also starting to take some sort of shape.
In turn, it sends a very clear message to many clubs for what is needed to save themselves from having the door closed on them come finals time in August.
Hill End v Thorpdale
The jostling for prime position inside the top five continues, with Hill End having "some'' control over their finishing position after a win over Thorpdale.
The Hillsmen are not taking their current ladder position of second for granted given the long road ahead and plenty of improvements to be made, even in their comfortable win on the weekend 23.8-146 to Thorpdale 9.5-59.
"It was a physical encounter with a bit of heat in the game early on," reflected Hill End coach Mike Santo. "We started well and were able to string some sharp passages of good footy together."
"Thorpdale outplayed us in the third quarter, but we were able to get on top in the last quarter and finish the game off well. The bye is coming at a perfect time for us."
Thorpdale, disappointed but satisfied, showed more of what they're capable of than the week prior.
"A much improved effort with some really good patches, especially the third quarter where we got our game up and going," Thorpdale coach Ray Pickering said. "But couldn't sustain it against a strong outfit."
Thorpdale will have their moments to celebrate this year, but at this stage the Blues are just a little off where they need to be.
Fish Creek v Boolarra
Fish Creek found themselves in the unusual position of ninth in the bottom half of the table and more than two games behind their opponents prior to their weekend clash with third placed Boolarra who had the added benefit of a game in hand.
The precarious position of the respected Kangaroos was reason enough for the home side to throw absolutely everything at the visitors.
The Demons withstood the pressure, getting the points courtesy of a 12.7-79 to 9.10-64 win.
It was a game that for a lot of the afternoon could have gone either way.
"In the first half, we went away from the type of footy we want to play and Fishy were playing good, running footy and making us look ordinary," Boolarra coach Tony Giardina said. "But to the boys credit, after half-time we started playing the footy we want and the game turned our way."
The turn of the game means contrasting fortunes for the two sides, with Boolarra now well positioned in third spot and Fish Creek in the danger zone of 11th.
"It was a much better effort this week and things are starting to come together," reflected Fish Creek coach John Danckert, "We had a poor patch of footy in the third quarter that Boolarra capitalised on, credit to them they took their chance."
MDU v Newborough
Newborough announced their arrival with a tenacious away victory over fellow finals aspirants MDU, 11.11-77 to 5.10-40.
The win for the Bulldogs was built on the back of some great team play and very good skills.
"We got to play on a great ground in perfect conditions, against a side of locals that move the ball very well and deny the opposition the ball," Newborough coach Craig Skinner said. "A few injuries at crucial times cost MDU on the scoreboard."
"Our nervous energy is turning into enthusiasm for the next contest," he added.
The Demons were also happy enough with their effort, if not the result.
MDU coach Peter Harris said his team's effort and endeavour was superb.
"Really proud of how the boys went about it," Harris said. "We made simple skill errors that hurt us. Newborough were much cleaner and then able to convert on the scoreboard with greater ease."
Stony Creek v Foster
A visiting Foster side got much needed percentage and the four points against Stony Creek, 12.14-86 to 4.10-34.
The 52-point win wasso much sweeter given it was a major milestone for one of the club's favourite players Jacob Byrnes.
"Congratulations firstly to Jacob on his 300th," Foster coach Sam Davies. "Nice to be back on the winners' list, it's never easy at the race track. We had moments of really good play, our back six keep absorbing and continue to be a strong group. We look forward to keep building momentum."
Foster are slowly climbing their way back up to where they need to be, while the pressure remains on Stony Creek who seemingly got under the guard of many opponents to climb within percentage of fourth on the ladder.
Stony Creek coach Jai Acardi said they were not able to match Foster's intensity.
"The boys battled but came up well short," Acardi said. "A big improvement is needed for us to be competitive against Boolarra next week."
Tarwin v Morwell East
Tarwin withstood the fight of the visiting Hawks to claim their sixth win in six matches, 11.15-81 to 9.8-62 to the delight of Sharks coach Troy Hemming.
"Morwell East were exactly what I expected, well coached by Devon," Hemming said. "They play a good modern brand of football and have some great experienced players in their team."
"Great contest game with it being pretty even across the ground. Our group is pretty young so I'm very proud of the boys for sticking to the game plan and staying confident within themselves to get the job done."
Morwell East coach Devon Soutar couldn't have asked for a better start to the match.
"Right from the pre-game, it was clear we were gonna be cracking in, driven by our leaders," Soutar said. "We finally played in the exact manner that we've been searching for. Unfortunately, very good sides like Tarwin don't give up much margin for error, and a turnover riddled patch in the second quarter and a slight drop of intensity at the start of the last prevented us getting the reward for effort."
Toora v Yinnar
The "Battle of the Magpies" looked to be a one-way affair if one was to judge the match on ladder positions alone.
The winless and undermanned Toora were no match for the visiting Yinnar, losing 2.2-14 to 27.16-178.
Yinnar coach Daniel Taylor said it was a fantastic result with his team's foot skills, run, carry and spread on show all day.
"We understand Toora had a lot out with COVID, which makes it very hard," Taylor said. "They had three blokes play seconds and seniors, so by the end of the day we just completely outrun them. They will be a much better team next week."
Toora coach Matthew Ponton said it was always going to be tough with 11 senior players out through COVID and injury, and the scoreboard reflected that. He praised the well-drilled Yinnar for their attacking brand of footy.
"Our boys gave it a crack today and that's all you can ask when undermanned, credit to our better players Oscar Casmore, Michael, Cameron and Lukas Jenkins."
Bye: Mirboo North
For a preview of Saturday's action, visit thegazette.com.au on Thursday night.