A last quarter surge was enough to see Tyntynder record their second win for the season with a 23-point victory over Lake Boga on Saturday.
While the Bulldogs took home the four points, the young Magpies lost no admirers, with their attacking game style under new coach Dean Helmers giving the black and white army plenty to cheer about.
Lake Boga outworked their more fancied rivals for the first three quarters and after trailing by just seven points at the final break, an upset looked on the cards.
But in the end it was the home side, led by Roy George and Jason Eagle, who finished strongest, with Tyntynder running out winners 9.12 (66) to 5.13 (43).
While both clubs wasted their opportunities in front of goal, it would be Lake Boga who would rue their inaccuracy the most, after registering just five goals from 18 scoring shots. But despite their finishing being below par, the rest of the Magpies game was played at a very high standard, garnering praise from Tyntynder coach Jack O’Rourke post-match.
“All credit to Lake Boga, they had a real crack and led the way with winning contested footy all day I felt,” O’Rourke said.
“It took a couple of our better players to stand up in that last quarter and I think that may have been the difference in the end.
“They (Lake Boga) worked harder and won more of the contested footy than us, I was really impressed with the way they went about it.
“They were quick and took the game on and didn’t care if they made mistakes. Full credit to them.
“We weren’t quite at the same level we were at over the first two weeks and they came to play, simple as that, but it was still nice to get the win regardless.”
It was a sentiment shared by Helmers, who also felt his side played the better football for the majority of the match.
“Our match-ups were working, but we just missed the crucial moments late in the last quarter,” Helmers said.
“But I’m extremely happy with how fast we’re improving and competing, we’re not results driven this year, just process driven.
“We gave them a couple of easy goals at the end of the game which flattered the scoreline, but it was anyone’s game with 10 minutes left.”
David Gourdis continued his strong start to the season with and finished with three majors, but it was his ability to mark and provide a strong forward target that saw him finish as one of Lake Boga’s better players.
Roy George proved to be the difference between the two sides however, with the onballer’s class around the contest and ability to hurt on the outside giving the Bulldogs plenty of run and drive around the ground.
Justin Ellis split his time between key forward and in the ruck and produced his best game for seasons, while Marcus Wattie, Isaiah Bull and Elia Ware were also impactful in the midfield.
Fraser Colville was given the task of quelling Wattie’s influence on the game and while the Bulldogs playmaker still had an impact, he wasn’t at his absolute best due to Colville’s performance.
Nelson Ibbs had no such trouble opposed to Jayden Magro however, with Ibbs nullifying Magro’s usually high output.
Lake Boga will meet Koondrook-Barham in a must-win match this week, but will do so without playmaker Will Doquille, who strained a hamstring and is likely to miss the next month of football.
Tyntynder on the other hand will travel to Greenham Park to face Balranald.
FINAL SIREN
| TYNTYNDER | 2.1 | 4.5 | 5.11 | 9.12 | 66 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAKE BOGA | 1.3 | 3.6 | 4.10 | 5.13 | 43 |
VOTES
3 – Roy George (Tyntynder)
2 – David Gourdis (Lake Boga)
1 – Justin Ellis (Tyntynder)
