KOONDROOK-BARHAM have produced the first upset of 2022, winning their first game of the season – while simultaneously inflicting Tyntynder with their first loss.
Tyntynder only have themselves to blame for the result, with the Doggies squandering their opportunities in front of goal in the 11-point loss. The visitors had nine more scoring shots, but were unable to execute when it counted most to eventually go down 12.4.76 to 8.17.65.
The 11-point win lifts the River Raiders off the bottom of the ladder and will no doubt give the club a boost as they continue to develop under new coach Aaron Collins.
Koondrook-Barham were well served by their midfield, with Colin McVeigh, Jordan Iudica and Jake Dick-O’Flaherty all dominating through the middle of the ground, turning the game into a contested scrap rather than the free flowing, fast-paced game that the Bulldogs prefer.
McVeigh in particular has relished the move into the midfield this season, using his bigger body to advantage around the stoppages – with Collins also not only impressed by his on-ballers contested ball winning ability, but also the Raiders team defence.
“I thought we worked really hard on our defensive pressure and just getting back in numbers to help our defence – we were able to control the footy a lot more as well when we won it, which was pleasing because it was something we’d been working on all week at training and the boys executed it perfectly today,” Collins said.
“One of Tyntynder’s big strengths is their outside speed and we were ready for that today – part of our focus pre-game was stopping their outside run and keeping the pressure on them on the inside so they wouldn’t be able to feed it out to their runners and our boys just kept winning the ball in close and we were able to get the game played on our terms as a result.”
With Kye Attwell coming into the side for his first game of the season, the Raiders forward line had a much more dangerous look about it. Jacob Barrington (4 goals) joined Attwell (3 goals) forward and both caused the Tyntynder defence a number of headaches throughout the afternoon – especially with Cayden Crowe going down with a dislocated shoulder early in the match.
Crowe wouldn’t be the only injury concern for the visitors, with goal kicking cult hero Jason Eagle injuring a hamstring and midfielder Tom Bull suffering a suspected broken cheekbone. Eagle contributed four goals before his injury, but would be the only multiple goal scorer for the Dogs, who struggled for an effective target up forward in his absence.
The home side didn’t escape unscathed either, with Stephen Randall also appearing to injure his quad late in the game.
For Tyntynder coach Josh Stone, his disappointment was obvious in the post-match wash up – especially when it came to their last quarter, with his team kicking one goal, seven behinds as they attempted to overrun the Raiders.
“We had our chances but we just didn’t deliver – their pressure was first rate and we just kept turning it over and didn’t execute well enough at the end of the day,” Stone said.
“The ball would have been in our forward half for probably 80% of the time in that last 30 minutes, but we just couldn’t convert – we had a bit of an advantage, because the wind was probably favouring that end in the last quarter, but we just couldn’t execute in front of goals and it ended up costing us.”
VOTES
3 – Colin McVeigh (Koondrook-Barham)
2 – Elia Ware (Tyntynder)
1 – Jordan Iudica (Koondrook-Barham)
KOONDROOK-BARHAM 4.1 10.3 10.3 12.4.76
TYNTYNYDER 3.2 7.10 7.10 8.17.65
GOALS
KOONDROOK-BARHAM – Jacob Barrington 4, Kye Attwell 3, Jake Dick-O’Flaherty, Tom Petersen, Blake Watts, Kade Watts, Owen Uaongo 1.
TYNTYNYDER – Jason Eagle 4, Brodie Bennett, Zac Denham, Tate Hulland, Liam White 1.
BEST PLAYERS
KOONDROOK-BARHAM – Reagan Hamilton, Colin McVeigh, Jordan Iudica, Max Baldissera, Owen Uaongo, Jake Dick-O’Flaherty
TYNTYNYDER – Elia Ware, Brodie Bennett, Ben Derbas, Zac Denham, Thomas Sala, Thomas Bull
