THE Mallee Eagles returned to the winners’ list with a strong 81-point win over Lake Boga on the weekend, with the blue and gold army climbing to second on the Central Murray ladder in the process.
After waiting 21 days following their six-point loss to NNW United, the Eagles were intent on making an early statement against the Magpies, booting 12-goals to five before half time to set up a 43-point lead at the main break.
The visitors then continued to stretch their advantage after half time, going on to win 21.13 (139) to 8.9 (57).
While it was a commanding win on the scoreboard, the Eagles were made to earn the four points throughout the match according to co-coach Harry Allen, who was pleased with the result considering the time off since their last match.
“We had the King’s Birthday bye then we had our own bye, so we hadn’t played for three weeks and it felt a bit like that,” Allen said.
“We were just a little bit off with our skills and fundamentals, we weren’t terrible by any stretch, but we just coughed up the ball a couple of times and (Lake) Boga were able to get a little bit of momentum from that.
“At the end of the day we just kept building a bit of scoreboard pressure and kicked away, particularly in the second half.
“It was a good result in the end and was a good game to blow the cobwebs off, but speaking to Dean (Helmers) after the game he thought they played pretty well and they did.
“They (Lake Boga) took it to us, but I suppose our overall class was probably the difference in the end.”
It was a sentiment that was shared by Lake Boga coach Dean Helmers after the match, with the young Magpies continuing to improve in a year that is all about their development.
“It was a really good game of football, it probably didn’t show on the scoreboard but it was neck and neck all day in general play,” Helmers said.
“Their (Mallee Eagles) class players shook loose at times and that was the difference.
“I definitely don’t want to take anything away from Lalbert as they are a great side and I hope they go all the way this year, but my young group played some terrific footy.”
Wes Bennett was influential through the midfield for the Eagles, as was Darcy McGregor, while Darcy Hourigan kicked five goals up forward including his 1000th career goal.
Tom McGregor was another who had an impact across half back for the visitors, with the returns of Joe Halloran and Isaiah Bull helping to free up McGregor according to Allen.
“Having Joe, and ‘Bully’ (Isaiah Bull) back allows Tom McGregor to play that high centre half back role, which at times when the game was played on our terms helped ensure our defence was pretty rock solid,” Allen said.”
“Considering Joey hasn’t played since round three, he was also pretty good and it’s amazing what he’s done structurally for us straight away.”
The other element of the Eagles’ game which pleased Allen was their ability to control possession of the ball, with the ability to maintain possession set to play a key role in the Mallee team’s push for finals.
“When we played a little bit smarter and got our uncontested marks going, particularly in the second half, we were able to starve them of the footy for good periods I felt,” Allen said.
“We were then able to get those repeat forward 50 entries off the back of that which eventually provides scoreboard pressure.
“Our overall depth and class across the ground was probably the difference, but when we took our foot off the pedal they troubled us as they still have a few players that are capable of winning the footy.”
Braden Padmore was again the best for Lake Boga and is proving week on week to be one of the best onballers in the Central Murray, while Zac Warne, Koben Ryan, Andrew McDonald and Xavier Sherlock were also named among the Magpies’ better players.
SCORES
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final Score |
| Lake Boga | 1.4 | 5.5 | 7.6 | 8.9 | 57 |
| Mallee Eagles | 5.1 | 12.6 | 15.7 | 21.13 | 139 |
VOTES
3 – Wes Bennett (Mallee Eagles)
2 – Darcy McGregor (Mallee Eagles)
1 – Braden Padmore (Lake Boga)
