Mallee Eagles set benchmark

THE Mallee Eagles have confirmed their status as one of the teams to beat this season with a 31-goal win over finals conquerors Swan Hill on the weekend.

Having been defeated by the Swans in the past two preliminary finals, the Eagles turned the tables on their rivals, with a dominant four quarter performance that made a statement to the rest of the Central Murray competition.

The late omission of defender Mollie Quin didn’t help Swan Hill’s cause, with youngster Miela Roberts coming into the side to play through the midcourt, but with quality players such as Karli McIntyre, Kelly Bonney and Hayley Neuschafer, it was a victory that still impressed Mallee Eagles co-coach Jess Jobling.

“It was very exciting to be able to pull off a strong win like that, in that weather and against a team that’s been really strong and had the wood over us for years,” Jobling said.

“Yes, they (Swan Hill) were a little bit undermanned yesterday, but nonetheless I was super proud of how our girls played.

“We spoke before the game that we didn’t want to be chasing a lead on a hot day, so we knew we had to try and jump out of the blocks as quick as we could.

“The first quarter was a very tight tussle and then I felt like we found our groove in the second quarter and then we just ran away with it.”

Run away with it they did, with the Eagles completely obliterating the Swans in the third term, scoring 17 goals to three in a 15 minute period that blew the game wide open.

The young Swans simply ran out of legs in the second half, with the sapping heat taking its toll on the home side in the 58-27 result.

While the Eagles ability to run and create through the midcourt helped them get the jump on Swan Hill in the second half, it was their defence that proved to be the difference between the two teams, after conceding just nine goals in the second half.

“Our defence worked really hard all day,” Jobling said.

“Jemma (Meehan) and Nevaeh (Roberts) worked so well together and Nevaeh in particular had a really, really strong second half and she was just hunting those intercepts outside the ring.

“We changed her back to goal keeper into the second quarter and that made a difference going into that second half.

“Swan Hill will be a competitive team this year, and the score probably didn’t really reflect how close it felt.

“Kelly Bonney was brilliant for them and helped set up their attack, but I think overall, our midcourt pressure and ability to create turnovers through the mid court really helped us.”

Along with Roberts and Meehan, the Eagles were also well served by Kasey Torr at wing attack, as well as Megan Thorneycroft, who shot 37 of her teams 58 goals.

For Swan Hill, there were still plenty of positives to be found, with the continued good form of younger players Jaya Jenkins-Jaiswal, Andi Meney and Miela Roberts, who received special praise from Swan Hill coach Casey Frame.

“It was good to see many of our youth play well, especially against quality and experienced players,” Frame said.

“I thought we were competitive for a half, but we just couldn’t maintain it and we missed Mollie (Quin) in defence, who provides a lot of guidance for us.

“Credit to the Eagles, they played well, shot well and showed a lot of depth in their team – they are a quality opposition who many teams will fear this season.”