LADDER leaders Nyah-Nyah West United returned to the winners’ list on Saturday with a commanding 81-point win at home over Koondrook-Barham.
The Raiders were proved no match for the Demons, who dominated the first half with 21 scoring shots to Koondrook-Barham’s three.
NNW United didn’t have things all their own way, however, with the Raiders winning the third quarter, before being held goalless by the Demons in the final quarter on their way to a 16.17 (113) to 5.2 (32) victory.
It was a return to form for the victors after a disappointing loss to Woorinen seven days earlier.
NNW United co-coach Jason Murphy was pleased with his players’ ability to handle the windy conditions.
“We were looking for a response (after Woorinen), we spoke about getting our pressure game going all week and the boys responded well,” Murphy said.
“We focused on our defence a bit more and on getting our game going off the back of that.
“We handled the conditions and planned to stay on the clubrooms side as the wind was blowing straight across the ground and our handball game worked with the wind as well, we sort of took the wind out of it by forward-handballing through it.”
“(Koondrook-Barham) set up pretty well early and we were able to handball through it.
“Our kicking game wasn’t going to work in those conditions, so there was a real focus on getting our run-and-gun game going and the boys did really well, particularly in the first quarter.
“We got a little bit kick happy with the wind at stages, but at the end of the day we were able to break through their set-ups by running through it.”
Brayden Bigham and Riley Daniels returned from suspension for NNW United, and Bigham was one of the Demons’ better players with his speed and ability to break the lines.
Also among the home side’s best was co-coach Nick O’Neill, ruckman Blake Larkings and midfielders Jordan Iudica and Ethan Saville.
Key defender Joel Walsh received the highest praise from Murphy for his ability control the game across half-back.
“‘Walshy’ was pretty dominant intercepting all day, he had the ball on a string and was unstoppable at times,” Murphy said.
“He had a bit of a wake-up call against Woorinen last week, they targeted him a bit, but he came out really well on Saturday and was back to his best.”
One shining light for Koondrook-Barham was the performance of Jack Shannon, who was a clear standout for the visitors on the wing, with the Raiders captain playing on the high side all afternoon.
Also among Koondrook-Barham’s better players were key position players Kye Attwell, Reagan Hamilton and Scott Wood, along with midfielder Billy Driscoll, Tom Amor and Jack Thrum.
The Demons host Swan Hill this Saturday, while Koondrook-Barham will travel to Greenham Park to take on Balranald.
SCORES
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final Score |
| Nyah-Nyah West United | 4.4 | 8.13 | 11.13 | 18.17 | 113 |
| Koondrook-Barham | 1.1 | 2.1 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 32 |
VOTES
3 – Joel Walsh (NNW United)
2 – Brayden Bigham (NNW United)
1 – Jack Shannon (Koondrook-Barham)
