TYNTYNDER leapfrogged opponents Tooleybuc-Manangatang into sixth place on the ladder in a strong 58-point win on a muddy Alan Garden Reserve.
The Bulldogs were able to overcome early goalkicking inaccuracy to run away to their fourth win of the year, 11.15 (81) to 2.11 (23).
Tyntynder coach Jack O’Rourke said the win gave his side “a bit of confidence” as they approach a do-or-die period of the season.
“It’s a good reward for all of these boys who are really buying into the system we have been trying to play,” he said.
“We were disappointing with our kicking today. While we were a bit better after half-time, it’s still disappointing.
“We know we need to win these next three games if we want to make the finals so it’s a bit like we’re playing our finals series now.
“A lot of these guys have been playing really selfless roles, so it’s great for them to be rewarded with a win like this.”
Both sides struggled to find the middle of the big sticks early, but Tyntynder made their forays forward count more than their opponents.
Full forward Jason Eagle opened the account with two goals, the only two kicked in the opening term, but the Bulldogs could have blown the Saints out the water earlier.
Tyntynder scored five behinds early on, while Tooleybuc-Manangatang were held to just two behinds for the first quarter through the Bulldogs’ strong defensive structure and ferocity in the contest.
The Saints lost the spine of their defence through injury in the first 10 minutes, Jackson Morris and Jacob Kenny not returning and leaving the side down two rotations.
The second term was a similar story as Tyntynder added another 2.6, while the Saints were held to just 0.6 for the opening half.
The muddiness of the centre square on Tyntynder’s home ground made for a scrappy midfield battle, with the Bulldogs getting the upper hand through the ruck work of Matt Gillbee.
Gillbee and Saints ruckman Connor McDonald had a close battle, while the return of Elia Ware provided the Bulldogs another ruck option.
After the major break, the Saints were able to get their first goal but Tyntynder’s hunt of the football kept their opponents at arm’s length.
In the scrappy conditions, much of Tyntynder’s drive forward came from the rebound of their half-back line.
O’Rourke said much of his team’s success was built off team defence.
“Our back line are really strong in the contest,” he said.
“That is really important to how we play, they work so hard for each other and are able to give each other a chop-out.
“A lot of these blokes who are playing down back for us are local guys.
“They’ve played hundreds of games of junior footy together, and now they’re really starting to come together as a senior team.
Isaiah and Samuel Bull were two of those who put in strong performances in defence, with Isaiah in particular springing his side into attack with run and carry.
The Bulldogs pushed out the margin in the final term, with Jayden Magro kicking two of his team’s five final-quarter goals as the Saints added one more.
Harrison Maher covered the entire oval well for the Saints, accumulating disposals and running his side forward.
Richard Wardle and Blake Grant were strong in the Saints midfield, winning their own footy and attempting to work through the slippery conditions.
But Saints coach Brad Morris said he was disappointed in his side’s showing and Tyntynder adapted to the conditions better.
“To go down by that much and to not really fire a shot was pretty disappointing really, considering we’ve been pretty happy with our efforts recently,” he said.
“Even in a couple of our losses we hadn’t been far off it, so we were just disappointing today.
“We were probably lucky they missed some goals as well, otherwise we would’ve been in a real world of pain.
“We’ve got a fair bit to keep working on if we want to turn it around, it’s about bridging that gap between our best footy and our worst.”
The Bulldogs will take the confidence boost into their King’s Birthday weekend clash with Swan Hill this Saturday.
SCORES
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final Score |
| Tyntynder | 2.5 | 4.11 | 6.14 | 11.15 | 81 |
| Tooleybuc-Manangatang | 0.2 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 2.11 | 23 |
VOTES
3 – Matt Gillbee (Tyntynder)
2 – Isaiah Bull (Tyntynder)
1 – Ned Lay (Tyntynder)
