KERANG’S hard-fought nine-point win over Cohuna may have come at a cost with injuries to three key players.
Brad Pay (hamstring), Josh Hann (shoulder) and Sam Heavyside (adductor) all left the field as the reigning premiers held off the fast-finishing Kangas 10.14 (74) to 10.5 (65) to keep their unbeaten record intact.
Pay lasted just one minute, with the star onballer injuring his hamstring with his first kick of the match, while Hann was also injured in the opening quarter, leaving Kerang two rotations down for most of the game.
But with the bye next week, Blues coach Troy Coates is hopeful they will still have close to their best team available when they play Balranald in two weeks time.
“Losing those three key guys really hurt us, they are such important players to our side, so to still get the four points was a pretty good effort really,” Coates said.
“I was pleased with our effort in the end, it’s our fifth game we’ve won this year by less than two goals, and I suppose when we’re challenged and the games on the line, we’re prepared to just find a way to get it done.
“They (Cohuna) were pretty much at full strength, playing on their home ground and fighting for the top five, so we knew they were going to put up a really good fight.”
Coatest admitted Pay was likely to miss the clash against Balranald, but was hopeful he would be right for the first week of the finals.
But he was more optimistic that Hann and Heavyside would be fit after the week’s rest.
“Hopefully ‘Rossy’ (Lachlan Ross) should be back from his hamstring in a fortnight’s time too,” he said.
Despite the early injury issues, Kerang led by 24 points at three-quarter time on the back of Rylee Smith, Josh Nitschke and Jesse Clark’s ability to run and break the lines.
But the Kangas fought back as the Blues began to tire, with the home side rattling off three unanswered goals in the final term.
It proved to be too little, too late for Cohuna, however, as Kerang showed grit to grind out the win.
“The run from our smaller players was significant, especially with their (Cohuna) height, because they are a very tall side,” Coates said.
“They sent (Jake) Hammond forward, which really stretched our defence at times, but with that, when we were able to bring the ball to ground, our smalls like Sean Hunter, Jesse Clark, Rylee Smith and Josh Nitschke were able to run it out.
“They had a lot of match-ups and were trying to run with some of our guys, but that also played into our hands a little bit because they were more focused on us.”
Kerang veteran Troy Davis was tasked with quelling Kangas’ spearhead Dylan Johnstone, and kept him goalless.
Cohuna tried tostretch the undersized Kerang defence, with regulars Johnstone and Free stationed deep in attack, while both Hammond brothers also pushed forward at times.
Jake Hammond continued to stake his claim as the league’s premier intercept defender, while Joel Helman and Jarrod Findlay were damaging on the ball. Defenders Tom Metherell, Cooper Mcloughlin and Daniel Paterson also played well for the Kangas.
The Kangas now sit in sixth position and face an early elimination final this weekend against seventh-placed Swan Hill.
FINAL SIREN
| Cohuna | 4.0 | 5.0 | 7.2 | 10.5 | 65 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kerang | 4.2 | 7.5 | 10.8 | 10.14 | 74 |
VOTES
3 – Rylee Smith (Kerang)
2 – Jake Hammond (Cohuna)
1 – Josh Nitschke (Kerang)
