Impressive Rovers bounce back
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It’s the time of the year that separates the men from the boys, the contenders from the pretenders.
This block of four weeks, when winter has set in, will be when the effects of wins and losses can be quite clearly seen on the MGFNL ladder.
Yinnar v Hill End
It was a bit of a stretch to remember the last time Hill End had been confronted with the possibility of losing two games in a row. Good sides just don’t do that, and there has been no question the Hillsmen have been a very good side.
This clash, however, was a real test for both teams. For the Rovers, because another loss would put their hopes of a top two finish under pressure. For Yinnar, because on paper at least, this looked to be their toughest task in more than a month.
Under that pressure, the Magpies fell short and now find themselves back in the pack of teams fighting for a finals spot after losing 8.1058 to the Rovers’ 13.6-84.
“We were completely outplayed and outworked in the first half by a better team on the day,” Yinnar coach Daniel Taylor said. “We couldn’t get any pressure on the ball carrier and, when you have a quality tall up front like they did in (Luke) Mulqueen, it makes it pretty hard to defend.
“We showed a bit of fight in the third quarter but we couldn’t bridge the gap on the scoreboard. To put it simply, we were not good enough for long enough, which was disappointing.”
Hill End should be commended on their impressive bounce back from a confidence breaking defeat to Tarwin just a week earlier.
Rovers coach Mike Santo reflected it was a physical game against a very good teams, with a few spot fires adding to the feeling in the game.
“It was a must win for us, and we came out accordingly, playing the best footy we have all year,” Santo said. “Our effort was much better and our ball use was terrific.”
“Yinnar were better in the second half, but we had already established control of the game. For us Mulqueen, (Tyler) Pratt and the Fawcett brothers (Aaron and Dane) were instrumental in our win.”
So top two is back on the agenda for Hill End now, a crucial step in positioning oneself for a finals tilt in a year where any one of seven, maybe even eight, teams have a legitimate case.
Thorpdale v Fish Creek
A pre-season pick as a top four side, Fish Creek’s fortunes have been diabolical for most of 2022.
The Kangaroos, hit by COVID, injuries and therefore limited player availability, have coughed and spluttered their way through most of the year, never really able to fire in the way in which they had planned.
Travelling to take on Thorpdale on the Blues’ home deck, it was time to jump back on the winners’ list again. Their 13.11-89 to 8.12-60 win was enough to please their coach John Danckert.
“Every week poses a challenge, the competition is so even, which is fantastic,” Danckert said. “We played well in parts. Thorpdale are a really proud club, we knew that, and they came at us time and time again. We were lucky enough to get the win.”
Thorpdale did what they do. They were good in parts, but still need time and patience to be better for longer. The line between average and good enough is not that far apart.
“The boys put in all game, some really good patches that saw us dominate the play but lacking some polish that doesn’t see us getting the full reward for effort,” Thorpdale coach Ray Pickering said. “But some really good positives to take forward.”
At season start, followers might not have thought Thorpdale could steal a win from Mirboo North on the Tigers’ home ground. But this week the Blues will get that chance to be rewarded for their effort.
Boolarra v Tarwin
There had already been a number of games in which it was conceivable to believe Tarwin would suffer their first defeat of the season.
The Sharks had already faced contenders such as Hill End, Yinnar and Foster, and on all occasions proved too strong.
Boolarra was next in line, coming off a rare loss. The Demons bounced back in a big way, defeating the previously undefeated Sharks, 7.13-55 to 5.11-41.
“The game started with some real heat and there was pressure at every contest and both sides were not backing down,” Boolarra coach Tony Giardina said. “In the second, the boys started to get on top. Only bad kicking for goal stopped us from putting some separation between us. Second half was much the same, with both sides putting everything on the line. It was a great finals-like game.”
The win puts Boolara within half a game of second spot and the loss for Tarwin has the Sharks still on top but with pressure now building.
“It was hard to put into words, we just didn’t show up in the first half as our effort wasn’t there,” Tarwin coach Troy Hemming said. “The boys have been good all year, so it was a bit different to see them not have the normal spirit. We gave it a real crack in the last quarter but couldn’t hit the scoreboard.”
“We need to have a good look at the whole picture and see where we went wrong,” he added.
Foster v Toora
It turned out to be one-way traffic, home side Foster cruising to a 69-point win over Toora, 18.10-118 to 7.7-49.
“Toora really pressured us and made us panic and, at times, we lacked composure,” Foster coach Sam Davies said. “We are definitely taking all the wins we can get and are really appreciating the contests and giving opportunities to players with the constant changes each week.”
Although a win still avoids the Magpies, no one is ready to throw in the towel just yet.
“Conditions held up, but the ground was very soft underfoot and the Foster players just ran over us in the second quarter, and they kept that lead for the rest of the day,” Toora coach Matt Ponton reflected. “Everything we did looked hard for us and they scored goals with ease going forward.”
Morwell East v Mirboo North
While the club was flagging a possible move to the NGFNL, Morwell East coach Devon Soutar’s job was to make certain his team was fully focused on achieving the best they could in the MGFNL.
The Hawks had been hovering all season but yet to really dive into the season in the deadly way many anticipated. They impressed this week against their “prey” Mirboo North, winning 11.14-80 to 6.5-41.
“We were able to get the game played in our front half for the vast majority, which was pleasing,” Soutar said. “But we didn’t quite widen the scoreboard gap as much as we would have liked.”
The Tigers have not been able to get their season going, and now it appears over.
“I don’t have too many negatives on the game, we got beaten and outclassed,” Mirboo North Josh Taylor said. “We have been playing a lot of kids, which ultimately in the future they will be leading the club - a changing of the guard.” Stony Creek v MDU
Stony Creek put up their handed when it really counted with a 16.8-104 to 8.5-53 victory.
In a tough contested game, Stony Creek coach Jay Acardi said “it was pleasing to come out after half-time switched on and up for the contest”.
It was a loss that the Demons didn’t need but it was one that only came they threw everything they had at the Lions.
“The score didn’t reflect the evenness of the contest for the most part, with Stony Creek getting on top in the last quarter,” MDU coach Peter Harris said. “I’m proud of the effort the boys put in.”