THE Mallee Eagles have celebrated their 120th year in style on Saturday, with a 25-point win over Woorinen helping cement themselves in the top three.
After a tight opening term, the home side blew the game open with seven of the next nine goals after quarter-time to record a 10.9 (69) to 6.8 (44) win in wet conditions.
It was another strong performance by the Eagles, who registered their fifth consecutive win, with the performance against a fellow finals aspirant and the manner in which they handled the conditions and big occasion set to propel them into the second half of the season, according to co-coach Harry Allen.
“It was a great day for the club, with the colts and reserves all having a win too and lots of former players back at the club,” Allen said.
“We’ll go in confident in any game now knowing we’re capable of beating anyone.
“I thought we were super in the wet and were clean and composed with the ball and around the stoppages and contest, I thought we were pretty dominant for a lot of the game.
“Woorinen still had their assets around the contest too, but we just got our hands dirty and got a bit of a lead in the first half and then worked hard and holding that advantage for the rest of the game.
“Jai Middleton in the ruck was our best player by a mile, especially against (Arnold) Kirby, who’s a really good player, and (Lachie) Gardner who gives him good support.
“Jai took control in the ruck and around the ground, but overall we were just a bit cleaner with the ball.
“We love that inside stuff and we competed well in that area, but even on the outside, I think we were a bit cleaner with the ball despite it being wet.”
Middleton’s dominance in the ruck enabled his midfielders to take control around the stoppages, with Beau Bennett, Brent Macleod and Allen all finding plenty of the ball and hurting the Tigers on the inside in the wet conditions.
Darcy Hourigan led the way up forward for the home side with a game high four goals, while Brady Fordham was another who contributed in the front half for the Eagles, working hard as a high half-forward and regularly providing his teammates with an option in open space.
While the win has the Eagles entrenched in the top three, it had the opposite effect on the Tigers, who are now battling for their finals future in fifth, with a sixth win, four loss record and a tough run home that includes games against NNW United, Kerang and Balranald.
“It wasn’t a great day for us, quite simply, they handled the conditions a lot better than we did,” Woorinen coach Marcus Demaria said.
“At times, it looked as though they were playing on a dry day such was their skill level and their inside beasts in Harry Allen and Brent Macleod were fantastic and we had no answers for them.
“I was happy our boys still had the ability to fight it out in the last quarter and not allow the margin to blow out all the same though.”
Jye Barry was one of the few positives on a dirty day for the Tigers, while Henry Thompson provided his usual spark off half-back, with Josh Stone, Lachlan Warburton and Tom Langford, who kicked three goals, also among Woorinen’s better players.
The Tigers will next face ladder leaders NNW United after the bye and will have to do so without forward Clayton McCartney, who re-injured his troublesome hamstring in the first quarter, while the Eagles also failed to get through the match unscathed, with Toby Sheahan also set for an extended stint on the sidelines after injuring his ankle in the win.
SCORES
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final Score |
| Malee Eagles | 3.1 | 5.5 | 10.7 | 10.9 | 69 |
| Woorinen | 2.3 | 2.5 | 4.6 | 6.8 | 44 |
VOTES
3 – Jai Middleton (Mallee Eagles)
2 – Beau Bennett (Mallee Eagles)
1 – Jye Barry (Woorinen)
