TOOLEYBUC-Manangatang’s late season revival will extend into the finals after the Saints recorded a come-from-behind two goal win over Woorinen on the weekend.
Having led for much of the game and needing to win in order to remain in the top five, the Saints trailed by two goals with just five minutes remaining before peeling off seven of the last 10 goals of the match to record a 47-45 victory.
The result means Tooleybuc-Manangatang and Woorinen will meet again in this Sunday’s Central Murray elimination final at the Alan Garden Reserve.
While the Saints, and Tigers, attention will have quickly turned towards this weekend’s knockout final, Tooleybuc-Manangatang coach Mel Wait was also keen to reflect in the immediate aftermath of her team’s hard-fought victory.
“I’m just so proud of them, we were tested and even when they (Woorinen) got the lead late, our girls did so well to bounce back,” Wait said.
“Jayda (Plant) took a few critical intercepts and Taylah (Morris) took some really critical intercepts and came up with the ball late, but they all did a really good job.
“I told the girls at three-quarter time that we probably had to win, because the Cohuna versus (Lake) Boga game was starting to blow out.
“We’ve been thereabouts for a couple of seasons and we’ve been steadily improving each year, but that change in belief that we can actually win has been the difference.
“We don’t get blown out on the scoreboard anymore and the girls really dig deep when things aren’t going their way which is exactly what happened today.”
Both Tooleybuc-Manangatang and Woorinen went into the game below strength, with the Saints missing defender Olivia Fowler and the Tigers without goal shooter Tayla Bennett.
Bennett would prove to be a massive loss for the home side despite strong performances from Willow Conlan (27 goals) and Eva Bolton (18 goals) in goals.
Bennett’s absence allowed Tooleybuc-Manangatang to replace Fowler with Emma Templeton, who proved to be the perfect match up for the smaller and faster Bolton, according to Wait.
“We had really strong belief that we knew our best would be good enough, but with ‘Liv’ (Fowler) and Amy (Standen) out we were a bit unsure about what our line-up would look like,” Wait said.
“I’m really proud of the two girls that stepped in and it probably suited us that Tayla (Bennett) didn’t play and we could match Eva (Bolton) for height.
“Emma (Templeton) matched up really well on Eva and she played beautifully too.”
Zoe Morris (24 goals) and Summer Blachford (23 goals) provided strong targets in the ring for the Saints, but it was her team’s ability to defend across the court that impressed Wait the most post-match.
“I think defensively Taylah (Morris) did a good job and I thought Jayda (Plant) was good at critical times,” Wait said.
“Her (Plant) defence was one of the things that we really wanted to work on this year and in the last half of the season, we’ve seen her take some really critical turnovers.
“Our goalers weren’t fazed by the contest either which was really good also, but in terms of better players I though Taylah, Jayda and Zoe (Morris) were up there.”
Among Woorinen’s better players were defenders Lily Den Houting and Tessa Demaria, along with midcourter Ava Crow.
Although Woorinen are expected to welcome Bennett back for their elimination final date with the Saints, Fowler will remain in doubt to take her place in Tooleybuc-Manangatang’s line-up.
FINAL WHISTLE
| Woorinen | 45 |
|---|---|
| Tooleybuc-Manangatang | 47 |
