AN eight-goal second quarter has helped Swan Hill secure their second win of the season, a 37-point victory over an undermanned Tooleybuc-Manangatang on Saturday.
The Saints’ depth was tested without key players Connor McDonald, Harrison Maher, Kai Kearns, Jaicob Kenny, Elliott Chalmers and Mitch Ferrie, as the Swans ran rampant after quarter-time, turning a four-point deficit into a 35-point half-time lead.
The 15.12 (103) to 10.6 (66) result leaves Tooleybuc-Manangatang precariously placed in the finals race, a game and percentage behind fifth-placed Woorinen, albeit with a game in hand.
While 2024 hasn’t gone to plan, Saturday’s win was the perfect “reward for effort” for the Swans, according to senior coach Michael Herlihy.
“It was a good result, we’ve got two wins on the board now and we’re heading in the right direction,” Herlihy said.
“Having the week off probably didn’t suit us too much because we wanted to keep that momentum rolling, but it was a good effort to come back out and get that second win on the board.
“We had most of the play in the first quarter again, but as has been our story this year we weren’t able to convert our inside 50s as well as we should have.
“But that second quarter we used the ball a bit better and played more of a team brand of football, we didn’t muck around with it and our forward line was working really well together, which helps.
“Ned (McKeown) was up there, Kal (Heslop) was leading well and was probably the beneficiary of us using the ball better up field.”
Much of the Swans’ run and drive came from their defensive half.
“Our defenders, especially our half-backs, did a fantastic job on their forwards,” Herlihy said.
“Tom Corridan played on (Josh) Williams and did a really good job on him, because he’s a quality forward, but I felt our half-backs rebounded really well.
“Sonny Beasy, Nyawi Moore, Jarvis Keogh, Tom Holdstock, those boys were solid down there and they created the drive from our back line and forced us into playing that running style of football that we’re more suited too.
“From there, we moved the ball a lot cleaner than what we have in previous weeks, that was the difference in getting our forwards decent looks at it without having them set up behind the football.”
Also among the Swans’ better players were ruckman Toby Thoolen, who took full advantage of McDonald’s absence for the Saints, while Lachlan Vrolijks, Brandon Houlihan and Tom Isma were also strong contributors.
For the Saints, Josh Williams kicked six of his team’s 10 goals, while Blake Grant, Jesse Wilson, Gareth Grant and Connor Nutting were also among the home side’s better players.
Tooleybuc-Manangatang coach Brad Morris lamented an inability to hit targets early in the match.
“Our execution really hurt us in the first half and our composure going inside 50,” Morris said.
“The boys took a little bit to settle in some new positions and roles, but the positive was as the game went on our group worked harder to execute instructions and finished on a better note.
“I thought they head the upper hand in the midfield and probably capitalised on their inside-50 opportunities much better than us.”
Morris and his Saints will face off in another potentially season-defining match against the third-placed Mallee Eagles this Saturday, with Swan Hill hosting a rejuvenated Woorinen at Swan Hill Recreation Reserve.
SCORES
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final Score |
| Tooleybuc-Manangatang | 2.1 | 4.2 | 6.4 | 10.6 | 66 |
| Swan Hill | 1.3 | 9.7 | 13.8 | 15.13 | 103 |
VOTES
3 – Jarvis Keogh (Swan Hill)
2 – Sonny Beasy (Swan Hill)
1 – Toby Thoolen (Swan Hill)
