TOOLEYBUC-Manangatang sit inside the top five for the first time this season after defeating Tyntynder by 23 goals on Saturday.
The 70-47 victory was set up by a dominant second quarter, with the Saints piling on 22 goals to 10 to open up an 18-goal lead at the main break.
From there, and with news of Swan Hill’s upset defeat to Balranald brewing, Tooleybuc-Manangatang continued to pile on the goals in the second half.
It was a tough day for the Bulldogs, who were forced to reshuffle their side after an Achilles injury to co-coach and goal defence Bridget Dedini saw her leave the court in the first half and take no further part in the match.
With regular goal keeper Bridgette King also missing, that left youngster Kieley Styles and Tamara Weiss to contend with Tooleybuc-Manangatang’s Zoe Morris and Summer Blachford, who took full advantage by posting the largest score of any team this season.
It was a performance that earned praise from Tooleybuc-Manangatang coach Mel Wait, with the Saints’ brand new attacking combination continuing to gel with every match.
“It’s pretty hard to believe Zoe’s (Morris) baby is only three months old the way she’s moving out there,” Wait said.
“She provides really good leadership and also around the goal ring and Summer (Blachford) is just so unassuming, quiet and consistent,
“They are a great combination together and having two tall target goalies certainly makes scoring easier.”
While Morris (37 goals) and Blachford (33 goals) were dominant in attack, Tooleybuc-Manangatang’s defence were just as solid, with Taylah Morris and Olivia Fowler also among the Saints’ better players.
The Bulldogs managed to hold their own through the midcourt even without Weiss, with Taylah Woodward, Issy Corrie and Elvie Kelly-Britten all combining well together on transition, while Violet Corrie led the way in goals with 38 of Tyntynder’s 47 goals.
“I think we capitalised on their missed shots pretty well, our pressure around their goal circle was really strong and they had a few forced balls into their goal circle,” Wait said.
“Taylah and ‘Liv’ (Fowler) played a really good game today.
“They rebounded particularly well and then we were able to convert, which has been a real focus for us too as we get lots of ball normally, but we don’t necessarily convert.
“It took us a while to get through their (Tyntynder) press and they executed that quite well, but once we got over that and got through it was much easier to get ball into our shooters.”
While the Saints find themselves inside the top five, they will also face their biggest test when they host the unbeaten Mallee Eagles while Tyntynder will play Koondrook-Barham.
FINAL WHISTLE
| TYNTYNDER | 47 |
|---|---|
| TOOLEYBUC-MANANGANTANG | 70 |
