FIVE unanswered goals either side of three-quarter time helped Kerang secure a 20-point win over Woorinen in difficult conditions on Saturday.
With both teams locked on two wins apiece heading into the match, it was the reigning premiers who would ultimately come out on top and move a game clear inside the top five.
It nearly wasn’t to be for the Blues, who almost kicked themselves out of it in the 8.16 (64) to 6.8 (44) win, a match also notable for the Woorinen debut of former Melbourne and Carlton midfielder Brock McLean.
Although not at their best according to Kerang coach Troy Coates, the Blues remain as one of the flag favourites, with the veteran coach fully aware of the importance of Saturday’s victory.
“We’re not playing our best footy, which is a bit frustrating, but we’re three and one, and we’ve played a lot of the good sides already,” Coates said.
“The positive is we’re still finding a way to win, while not playing our best, and Saturday was a huge win for us because it was an eight-point game in a sense.
“They (Woorinen) will be a team we’ll be fighting with for a top-three spot come season’s end, so we really needed to win that one.”
In a sour note for the Blues, Caleb Nitschke once again dislocated his shoulder, with scans during the week to determine the severity of the injury for the luckless key forward.
Woorinen also failed to get through the match unscathed, with Josh Stone injuring his calf in the second term and joining late withdrawal Doug Beames (calf tightness) on the sidelines.
Nick Lang and Arnold Kirby locked horns in the ruck all afternoon, with neither big man able to lay claim to the points, with both midfields as a result being evenly matched as well.
Woorinen coach Marcus Demaria lamenting his side’s inability to match it with Kerang’s polish.
“It was hard for both teams to score early on, it was a battle of the defences with the game being played between the arcs,” Demaria said.
“In the end they (Kerang) won some crucial one-on-one contests in which they were able to score from – they were more composed, made better decisions and had a bit more polish in the end.
“I felt we were evenly matched in the midfield and we won our fair share of clearances, we just didn’t use it as well going forward and lacked a bit of patience.”
It was a sentiment that was shared by Coates, who also felt the Blues’ outside run became a factor the longer the match progressed.
“We were pretty even around the stoppages, they’re a good contested side and have some good strong bodies, but I think our run on the outside and midfield rotations played to our advantage as the game went on,” Coates said.
“I felt if we could match them on the contested side of the game, that we could beat them on the outside.
“We zoned really well and they tried to attack the corridor, but in the conditions and with our zone, I felt we held up pretty well in that area of the ground.”
Jarryd Pertzel was one of the more influential players on the ground and was the Blues’ only multiple goalkicker (four), with his work rate across half-forward setting him apart from his teammates.
Also among the Blues’ better players was attacking half-back Sean Hunter, with captain Josh Nitschke, Jesse Clark, Tyson Clingan and youngster Harry Bremner also named in the home side’s best.
Henry Thompson continued his strong start to 2024, as did Regan Vesty, who split his time both through the midfield and as a high half-forward, while Matthew Gardner and Otto Conlan were strong contributors down back, with Conlan keeping Blues veteran Brad Pay to just one goal for the afternoon.
FINAL SIREN
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final Score |
| Kerang | 0.6 | 3.10 | 5.16 | 8.16 | 64 |
| Woorinen | 0.2 | 1.3 | 4.4 | 6.8 | 44 |
VOTES
3 – Jarryd Pertzel (Kerang)
2 – Regan Vesty (Woorinen)
1 – Sean Hunter (Kerang)
