NYAH-Nyah West United have extended their run at the top of the Central Murray ladder to 12 consecutive weeks following an emphatic 60-point win over Swan Hill on Saturday.
After conceding the opening five goals of the match, the Swans were never in the hunt, with the Demons claiming their 11th win of the season 18.12 (120) to 9.6 (60).
It was another dominant day for NNW United key forward Brandyn Grenfell, who kicked eight goals, which could have easily been more if not for his inaccuracy in front of goals.
His 15-year-old teammate Max Thompson also booted four goals.
Anthony Lewin and Jarvis Keogh were tasked with trying to negate the impact of Grenfell in the Swans’ undersized back line, with Keogh one of Swan Hill’s better players on the day.
Their task was made somewhat easier by NNW United’s forward entries, which were often wasteful and didn’t allow the home side to fully show case their complete dominance around the stoppages and contested ball.
Not only were the Demons harder around the ball, but they were cleaner as well, with Brayden Bigham, Riley Daniels, Ben Shadbolt and Zach Threadgold finding plenty of the ball and using it well in the first half to help set up a 43-point lead at half-time.
Swan Hill, by comparison, struggled to find targets, with NNW United ramping up the pressure around the ball, which in turn forced the Swans to turn the ball over.
Despite their lacklustre first half, Swan Hill lifted their work rate after the main break, which coincided with the Cooper Angus (two goals) and Brandon Houlihan (one) combining to kick three consecutive goals for the visitors.
Two of those goals came from some ill-discipline from the Demons, after two free kicks and resultant 50-metre penalties gifted the visitors consecutive goals inside a minute.
The game was won and lost in the first half, however, and NNW United co-coach Jason Murphy was pleased with his team’s opening 60 minutes.
“They’re always hard games against Swan Hill,” Murphy told 3SH Central Murray Live after the match.
“We had to come out with pressure, and I think we did that in the first half.
“We put them on the back foot with our intent and that’s the way we’ve sort of wanted to respond after the Woorinen game.
“We probably had the best of the contest in the first half, and we came out a bit flat after half-time.
“That was something we had to fix, we acknowledged that at three-quarter time, and the boys came out with a bit more energy after the break, but we want to be a team that does it for the full two hours.
“We turn into a pretty average team when our energy drops away, that’s our big strength and that’s who we want to be.”
“We’ve been focusing on our work around the centre bounces as well. It was an area where Woorinen got us a few weeks ago, so we were keeping a close eye on that today.
“We’ve come up with some structures and things where we can get an advantage there and having ‘Larko’ (Blake Larkings) perform the way he did helps give us that advantage.”
Larkings was indeed one of the Demons’ better players, while Swan Hill ruckman Toby Thoolen was every bit as dangerous around the ground, with the pair locking horns all afternoon.
Also among the Demons’ better players were defenders Joel Walsh and Zach Threadgold, with Walsh’s ability to read the play and intercept mark in defence making him among the best players on the ground in the first half.
Michael Herlihy, Luke Phelan and Tom Isma also found plenty of the ball for Swan Hill but were unable to have the same impact as the Demons’ onballers, with first-gamer Harry Graham and fellow colts player Lane Cardenas also showing they will be players of the future.
The Demons will travel to Lalbert this Saturday to take on the Mallee Eagles in an important game for both clubs, while Swan Hill will have the bye before also playing the Eagles in round 16.
SCORES
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final Score |
| NNW United | 5.5 | 9.9 | 12.11 | 18.12 | 120 |
| Swan Hill | 1.1 | 3.2 | 6.4 | 9.6 | 60 |
VOTES
3 – Max Thompson (NNW United)
2 – Joel Walsh (NNW United)
1 – Blake Larkings (NNW United)
