COHUNA coach Neil Bradley urged his fans to temper expectations after their second 90-plus point win in succession on Saturday, admitting the Kangas had bigger challenges on the horizon.
The Kangas moved to equal top with Kerang, albeit having played an extra game, after thrashing Koondrook-Barham 21.8.134 to 5.11.41.
“Anytime you have a win is good, but people expect us to win by 20 goals most games, and I have guys coming up to me during the week saying you struggled because you didn’t win by 20,” Bradley said.
“It’s very hard to do that, so I just think people need to be more realistic in their expectations of us.”
While the scoreboard portrays a smashing, the Raiders fought manfully up until three-quarter time and had periods in the game when they were on top in general play.
The big problem for the Raiders all day, however, was their inability to stifle the Kangas quick transition.
“We train a lot in our transition and connection from defence to forward and, having three key forwards, one of them can separate and get that dump kick up on a wing,” Bradley said.
Rhys Free dominated the first quarter, nailing three of his seven goals when the game was still hot, and Bradley warned rival clubs to “treat him lightly at your peril” as the big forward continued his superb season.
Raiders skipper Patrick Goble crumbed one off the pack for their only major of the term.
Joel Helman landed what felt like an early hammer blow as he put one through on the siren allowing the Kangas to take a 26-point lead into the first break.
The Raiders came out firing early in the second, but failed to make it count on the scoreboard.
Goals to the Iudica brothers – one each – were their only goals of the quarter as the Kangas took a 36-point buffer into the main change.
It was much of the same in the third term, with the Raiders trying hard but the Kangas class shining through, allowing them to keep slowly pulling away.
The highlight of the term was Dylan Johnstone slotting two goals in two minutes, including a snap from 45 out on the boundary.
Johnstone kicked three for the day and fought hard with the Raiders defenders in a contest that had quite a bit of feeling and heat to it.
The Raiders collapsed in the final term as the Kangas built on their already healthy percentage kicking seven goals to none.
Donat and Jake Hammond were among the Kangas’ best, along with Free, but Bradley highlighted the defensive and team efforts of the victory.
“I thought Brenton Conforti down at full back did a great job with Daniel Paterson and Mason Fehring,” he said.
“Daniel Coates was awesome, Tom Metherell of half back was excellent, Oscar Cooke also, but you could just go on and on, I suppose.”
It was the usual suspects for the Raiders, with Jack Shannon and Lucas Iudica battling hard all day.
In big news for the Kangas, Bradley is hoping star midfielder Tom Toma will get moving again this week, but said he is still a while away from getting on the park for game day.
“He hasn’t started running yet, so I will imagine he’d start running next week,” he said.
“He’ll have to go through a couple weeks of training, so maybe for the last game of the regular season, but he’s super important to us.”
The Raiders travel to Balranald next week while Cohuna should secure another comfortable victory against Swan Hill at home.
VOTES
3 – Rhys Free (Cohuna Kangas)
2 – Jake Donat (Cohuna Kangas)
1 – Daniel Coates (Cohuna Kangas)
MATCH RESULTS
KOONDROOK-BARHAM 1.1 3.4 5.9 5.11.41
COHUNA KANGAS 5.3 9.4 14.7 21.8.134
GOALS – KOONDROOK-BARHAM – Jordan Iudica 2, Patrick Goble, Lucas Iudica, Warren Lolicato 1.
COHUNA KANGAS – Rhys Free 7, Daniel Coates 4, Dylan Johnstone 3, Jarrod Findlay 2, Jake Hammond, Oscar Cooke, Jack Donat, Tyson Findlay, Joel Helman 1.
BEST – KOONDROOK-BARHAM – Jack Shannon, Lucas Iudica, Matthew Dean, Jacob Barrington, Max Baldissera, Reagan Hamilton
COHUNA KANGAS – Daniel Coates, Tom Metherell, Joel Helman, Jack Donat, Rhys Free, Ben Archard
