THREE unanswered final-quarter goals have helped Lake Boga record a come-from-behind nine-point win, stretching Swan Hill’s winless start to the season to seven games.
Having led for the bulk of the first three quarters, and holding a nine-point lead at three-quarter-time, the Swans managed just one behind in the final term as hopes of claiming their first win evaporated in front of a parochial Magpie crowd, despite the visitors having one more scoring shot for the match.
Lake Boga finished full of running, continuing to play with their new-found attacking flair instilled under new coach Dean Helmers to claim their second win of the season, 9.8 (62) to 7.11 (53).
A relieved Helmers was impressed with the Magpies’ second half after they were outplayed before half-time.
“I said to the guys after the game, I think all week people thought we were the hunted this week, just because we established an early win (against Koondrook-Barham in round 4) when people weren’t expecting too much from us this year,” Helmers said.
“We’ve been playing some really good footy in patches, but then this week, we were thinking we’ve just got to get the win, rather than (focus on) the process of what was going to get us the win.
“Even though we didn’t play too bad in the first quarter against the breeze, in the second quarter we played some pretty ordinary footy.
“We were a bit selfish at times and we wasted the breeze, we had too many guys crowding the forward line and not enough selfless play.
“We addressed that at half-time and in the second half, I think both sides played some really good footy, but we just managed to get on top when it counted.”
Although disappointed not to get the four points, Swan Hill still have plenty to be bullish about, with young guns Bodhi Kelly and Sonny Beasy both taking another step forward in their development to be among their team’s better players.
While Cooper Angus was another Swan who had an impact, the performances of Beasy and Kelly garnered special praise from Helmers.
“(Swan Hill) played the better footy for the first half, their midfield were really playing well and on top of their game and some of their younger players like Bodhi Kelly and Sonny Beasy were creating a few headaches for our guys,” Helmers said.
“Maybe we didn’t pay them enough respect or at least the respect they deserved, but they both played exceptionally well.
“Cooper Angus was brilliant for them, as was (Michael) Herlihy, and (Toby) Thoolen always plays well, but I think when the whips were cracking, I felt our guys were the better side in the end.
“Swan Hill made us work for everything, there was nothing easy and while we thought we would get them in the end, they made us earn every possession.”
Thoolen was also named among Swan Hill’s better players, with David Gourdis spending more time in the ruck opposed to the Swan Hill veteran, with Kai Everett playing predominately forward.
It was a move that paid dividends, with Everett finishing the game with two goals, along with Xavier Sherlock and Nathaniel Holmes-Brown, with Everett adding another string to his bow as a lively, contested marking forward.
Zac Warne was dominant across half-back, along with Josh Wills, Marty Parsons and Dylan McCosh, while Brodie Tonkin, Will Doquile and Xavier Sherlock were also instrumental in Lake Boga claiming the four points.
All eyes will be on Swan Hill this week when they meet arch rivals Tyntynder in the annual King’s Birthday weekend standalone clash, while Lake Boga will play ladder leaders NNW United in a fortnight’s time.
SCORES
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final Score |
| Lake Boga | 1.0 | 3.5 | 6.7 | 9.8 | 62 |
| Swan Hill | 1.4 | 3.9 | 7.10 | 7.11 | 53 |
VOTES
3 – Cooper Angus (Swan Hill)
2 – Zac Warne (Lake Boga)
1 – Xavier Sherlock (Lake Boga)
