KERANG remain on top of the Central Murray ladder, their dominant third quarter proving the difference against a much-improved Nyah-Nyah West United.
After leading by just 15 points at the main break, the Blues put their opponents to the sword in the third term, in what is becoming an all-too-familiar tale this year.
A six-goals-to-one quarter handed the visitors an unassailable 44-point lead at the final change, with Kerang eventually winning 12.10 (82) to 4.7 (31).
The scoreline didn’t tell the true story for the Demons, who lost joint coach Corey Daniels in the opening minutes to a hamstring injury, then tough utility Rhys Burge to a quad in the same quarter.
With NNW United down two rotations for much of the match, it was a strong performance from a side who last season finished with just three wins.
Kerang coach Troy Coates praised the Demons for their effort and endeavour post-match.
“(NNW United are) hard to beat on their home deck, they play a very one-on-one style of game with direct match-ups and put a lot of numbers around the footy, which can be hard to get through at times,” Coates said.
“The game opened up for us in the second half, but I think they’ll be a dangerous side in the second half of the year, especially when they get all their players fit and back playing again.”
Michael Dalrymple found his groove up forward for the Blues, booting a game-high four goals and providing a strong focal point forward of centre.
While Kerang were able to maintain possession, they struggled at times to move the ball with their usual fluency, owing to NNW United’s pressure around the contest.
In a similar tale to last weekend, the Demons once again battled with their efficiency going forward, constantly turning the ball over through a combination of poor decision making and dreadful skill execution.
Coates was enthusiastic about his own side’s effort, the veteran coach singling out two key areas as key factors in their third win of the season.
“Our fitness is really good at the moment and after half time, games kind of open up for us a bit as a result,” Coates said.
“Our skill execution has been really good as well. It can be pretty hard to shut down those corridor kicks or switch kicks that we work really hard on using, and I think our ability to hit those on the weekend consistently made a big difference.
“We’re a pretty proud group and when we’re challenged we tend to respond pretty well and we certainly got that on the weekend.”
Nick Lang dominated in the ruck for the Blues in a complete four-quarter performance, while Sean Hunter continued his transformation into one of the league’s best attacking half backs with another strong display.
For the Demons, Joel Campbell was superb, along with Joel Walsh in defence, while Oliver Boulton, Ethan Saville and Kayne Davidson were among NNW United’s better players, along with Zack Threadgold, who shut down Blues prime mover Bradlee Pay for large periods of the match.
FINAL SIREN
| NNW UNITED | 1.1 | 3.2 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KERANG | 4.2 | 5.5 | 11.7 | 12.10 | 82 |
VOTES
3 – Nick Lang (Kerang)
2 – Michael Dalrymple (Kerang)
1 – Joel Campbell (NNW United)
