by Shane Fleming
Kerang kicked the final eight goals in one of the games of the season to get out of jail with a dramatic 15-point win over a gallant Mallee Eagles at Riverside Park on the weekend.
The Blues trailed by as much as 38-points early in the third term, but eventually clicked into gear after a disappointing first half to run over the top of the Eagles and record their sixth win of the season; 13.6.84 to 10.9.69.
In a further blow for the team from Lalbert, Zak Saad was reported for striking at the three-quarter-time siren, with both he and Michael Dalrymple yellow carded as a result of the incident.
The visitors however dominated the opening half, outworking their more fancied opponents both with and without possession of the ball.
Kerang were constantly second to the footy, and on the occasions they did gain possession, were then met by two and three Mallee opponents bearing down on them.
The question being asked pre-game was where Dean Helmers men were going to get their goals from in the absence of Rex Hickman and Mahmoud El-Achkar.
Omar Taleb was swung forward with immediate effect, while Jake Foster and Andrew McDonald were providing their midfield with solid options going forward.
McDonald in particular really stood up in the absence of Hickman, playing the conduit role between defence and attack, as well as hitting the scoreboard with three goals in the first half.
Harry Allen and Darcy McGregor were winning plenty of the ball through middle, as the Eagles dominated the usually reliable Kerang midfield around the stoppages.
Kerang were under serious pressure and it showed, as they constantly bombed the ball inside their forward fifty, only to see it either spoiled by Tom McGregor or intercepted by Ayden Tessari.
Jacob Wade was also busy down back, as he and Tessari continuously rebounded out of their defensive half of the ground.
In a sign of the Mallee Eagles supremacy, the competitions leading goal kicker Bryce Curnow was swung from attack into defence in order to try and stem the tide, with a 32-point margin at the main break a true reflection of the visitor’s ascendency.
Jesse Clark and Sam Heavyside were among the few shining lights in the first half for the Blues, and it was these two who changed the complexion of the game in the second half, along with Brad Pay and Marty Kelly, who all of a sudden started not only getting their hands on the ball but using it with precision.
Where the Blues were struggling to find a target up forward in the first two quarters, it certainly wasn’t an issue after the main break.
The Blues scored eight of their ten second half goals from marks inside their attacking fifty, with youngster Sean Hunter standing tall in just his fourth senior game and Curnow being swung back forward in an effort to get his team back into the contest.
Kerang were overusing the ball by hand in the first half, and the change of tactics to move the ball by foot after half time also coincided with the momentum swing in the game.
The home side started to dominate the contested ball count, as the Eagles slowly started retreating into their shell with tired legs.
Kerang could count themselves lucky to get away with the four points, whilst still being proud of their effort to get back into the game after being completely outplayed in the first half.
For the Mallee Eagles, despite not winning the match, they certainly showed that they are far from a spent force in 2021 and if they can continue to produce performances such as Saturday’s, they should once again expect to be there when the whips are cracking later in the season.
VOTES
3 – Sam Heavyside (Kerang)
2 – Ayden Tessari (Mallee Eagles)
1 – Jesse Clark (Kerang)
