A DETERMINED Balranald breathed life into this week’s final round of the Central Murray season, with a hard-fought 10-point win over Woorinen on Saturday returning last year’s grand finalists to the top five.
In a heavily contested game that developed into a dour struggle, the Roos made the most of their chances, including in a decisive 15-minute period either side of three-quarter-time when three unanswered goals were kicked.
The 7.10 (52) to 5.12 (42) result lifted Balranald to fifth on the ladder with one round to play, replacing the Tigers who, after falling from the top five, face the prospect of missing finals for the first time since 2011.
Woorinen only have themselves to blame, dominating around the clearances but unable to convert on the scoreboard as they wasted countless opportunities with poor finishing in front of goal.
The home side kicked just four goals in the opening three quarters despite having 27 forward-50 entries, with poor finishing in front of goal undoing much of their midfield’s good work.
Jye Barry was one of those who dominated the game, along with Lachie Warburton and Henry Thompson, with the trio constantly driving their team into attack.
Barry was especially impactful and would have been a clear best on ground had it not been for the performance of Balranald skipper Harrison Soraggi, who provided his team with plenty of drive off half-back and through the middle, having also kicked a telling goal late in the second quarter to bring his team to within four points.
Despite the character-building win, Balranald could also consider themselves fortunate as they too failed at times to make the most of their opportunities, particularly in the first half, with their lack of a key target inside 50 and wasteful disposal going forward almost ruining their chances.
Woorinen could be accused of the same issues in the second half, with the Tigers losing much of their potency up forward with Arnold Kirby moving into the ruck, and William Collicoat, who had been busy in the first half, finding less of the ball.
This was partly due to the move of Jaxon Neagle into defence, where he was able to intercept several errant forward entries by the Tigers and rebound from his defensive half.
The performance drew praise from Balranald co-coach Tom Lister, along with the efforts of Ryan Middlebrook and Soraggi.
“The last time we played (Woorinen) they put a bit of work into (Neagle),” Lister told 3SH Central Murray Live post-match.
“We freed (Neagle) up a bit today and then when Bill Parry went down, we just knew how reliable he’d be across half-back with his ability to intercept for us, so we moved him back there.
“Ryan Middlebrook was pretty good, too. Once we couldn’t put Jaxon (Neagle) through the middle, he and Harrison (Soraggi) really stepped up and took control through the middle I thought, and gave us some drive across half-back and also locked down in the middle.
“As a team, I thought we played a pretty standard game for four quarters. It’s what we’ve wanted to do all year and it was a pretty pleasing win to keep us alive.”
Also among Balranald’s better players were the Lloyd brothers Drew and Kobe, along with Matthew Neagle, Mason Fitzgerald and Ian Fuller, with Jackson Ferguson producing perhaps his best game in the blue and white stripes in defence.
However, the Roos are set to be without Bill Parry for their must-win game against Tooleybuc-Manangatang this Saturday after a calf strain.
Woorinen are expected to be without midfielder Josh Domaille, who left the field in the second quarter and will enter concussion protocols ahead of the Tigers’ encounter with Tyntynder.
SCORES
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final Score |
| Woorinen | 1.2 | 3.8 | 4.12 | 5.12 | 42 |
| Balranald | 1.1 | 3.4 | 5.7 | 7.10 | 52 |
VOTES
3 – Harrison Soraggi (Balranald)
2 – Jaxon Neagle (Balranald)
1 – Jye Barry (Woorinen)
