NYAH-Nyah West United will go into an early season-defining encounter with Lake Boga this weekend full of confidence, following their crushing 114-point victory over Koondrook-Barham.
Having starting last season 0-7, the Demons were keen to make an early statement in 2023, with their 19.18 (132) to 2.6 (18) thrashing of the River Raiders doing exactly that.
The win sets up a mouth-watering round 2 clash, with NNW United joint coach Corey Daniels looking forward to the challenge that comes with facing one of last year’s finalists.
“We defended really well (against Koondrook-Barham) and it’s something we want to keep working on – being a strong defensive unit – and hopefully that continues against Boga next week,” Daniels said.
“We’re probably going to know where we sit after this weekend’s game – most of their team played finals last year and they look like they’re going to be pretty strong again.
“For us, we want to start the year well after we chased our tail a little bit last season. This year it’s about starting the year off well and banking those early wins.”
The wet and slippery conditions were certainly to the Demons’ liking, with the home side tearing the game open with 15 unanswered goals after the quarter-time break.
In a sure sign NNW United’s future is in strong hands, it was their young forwards who did all the damage, with Charlie Boulton booting six goals and former Tyntynder junior Liam White kicking five.
While NNW United’s capacity to kick a winning score in the difficult conditions would have undoubtedly pleased, it was the Demons’ defence, which held their opposition goalless for three quarters, that was most impressive.
Led by intercepting half back Joel Walsh and boom recruit Michael Bowden, the back six proved near-impassable in the conditions, with Daniels also praising his new-look midfield.
“It’s always good to start with a win, to play the way we played for the full four quarters was really pleasing,” Daniels said.
“We had winners all over the ground I suppose, but our midfield was strong at the contest and didn’t allow a lot of easy ball into our defence.
“Our backline really stood up too, but it was our ball movement, especially considering the wet conditions and the way we found space that was the most pleasing.
“I thought (Koondrook-Barham) were pretty good around the contest, but our pressure was excellent around the ball and we didn’t allow them to have any easy take-aways from the clearance.”
In a day that wasn’t suited to the big men, joint coach Nick O’Neill and Jacob Barrington battled hard for their respective sides in the ruck, with O’Neill taking the points for the Demons.
Mitchell Christensen was another strong performer for Koondrook-Barham and was one of the Raiders key onballers, while Chester Gardner, James Martin, Jordan Bassett and key defender Scott Wood were also among Koondrook-Barham’s better players.
While Koondrook-Barham managed to escape without any injuries to key players, the same cannot be said for United, who lost both Alex Erlandson (calf) and Campbell Everitt (ankle) throughout the course of the game.
While Everitt is considered a strong chance to be fit to face Lake Boga this weekend, key position swingman Erlandson has already been ruled out for at least the next month.
VOTES
3 – Joel Walsh (NNW United)
2 – Nick O’Neill (NNW United)
1 – Charlie Boulton (NNW United)
