TOOLEYBUC-Manangatang registered their second consecutive win on Saturday with a convincing 50-point victory over a disappointing Swan Hill.
The match never reached any great heights as a spectacle, but the closeness of the first half kept the large crowd engaged.
The Saints went into the game without the talented Alex Powell, while the Swans were missing livewire Jimmy Toumpas and key defender Lachlan Vrolijks.
The opening term was marred by poor disposal from both teams, resulting in constant errors.
An entertaining ruck duel developed midway through the quarter between the Saints’ Connor McDonald and Swans veteran Toby Thoolen, the latter dominating at centre bounces and boundary throw-ins but McDonald more creative around the ground.
Goalkickers for Tooleybuc-Manangatang in the first stanza were Kai Kearns, Jess Kane and McDonald, while for the Swans, Jarvis Keogh showed his class by kicking two majors, along with the mercurial Jose Miliado, who also snapped truly twice.
The Saints held a slender two-point advantage at the first break, with McDonald, Harrison Maher and Kane and Elliot Chalmers all standing out, while the Swans’ better players were Thoolen, Jose Miliado, Keogh and Nyawi Moore, who had the ball on a string across half-back.
In the second term players of both sides again crucified their disposals and put enormous pressure on their teammates further up-field.
Swans captain Luke Phelan lifted his work rate and Elijah Miliado kicked arguably the goal of the day with a long bomb, much to the delight of the Swans faithful.
Other Swan Hill players to come under notice included Cooper Angus, who was lively around pack situations, as well as both Ned McKeown and Anthong Lewin, who continually ran the ball out of the defensive half.
For Tooleybuc-Manangatang, McDonald, Maher, Jesse Wilson, John Wardle and Chalmers continued to win the footy with monotonous regularity.
A pair of goals to each side resulted in the contest being all tied up at the long break.
The contest then lifted as a spectacle, with players hitting targets with greater precision.
McDonald seemed to get on top in the ruck against Thoolen and lifted his work rate around the ground to another level.
With both Kearns and Chalmers dominating pack situations, the visitors had the edge on their direct opponents, resulting in a seven-point lead at the last break.
With the game on the line, both coaches were quite animated at their respective huddles at the break, but the day would belong to the Saints, the visitors booting six unanswered goals in the final term in a blistering display of football.
Tooleybuc-Manangatang full forward Josh Williams came into his own, kicking three goals and giving him five for the day, in a strong display, while Mcdonald secured best-on-ground honours.
In a further positive for Saints fans, youngsters Rydar Morris and Rylee Taylor showed that they will be players of the future, both playing well after half-time.
While the Swan Hill players stopped to a walk in the final 30 minutes, the Saints could do no wrong.
For the home side, McKeown, Lewin and Phelan tried hard to lift their teammates, but it was to no avail, as Tooleybuc-Manangatang recorded their second consecutive win to start a season for the first time since 2010.
FINAL SIREN
| Swan Hill | 3.0 | 5.4 | 7.4 | 7.6 | 48 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tooleybuc-Manangatang | 3.2 | 5.4 | 8.5 | 14.7 | 91 |
VOTES
3 – Connor Mcdonald (Tooleybuc-Manangatang)
2 – Harrison Maher (Tooleybuc-Manangatang)
1 – Elliot Chalmers (Tooleybuc-Manangatang)
