BOORT and Wycheproof-Narraport played out the North Central’s first draw of 2023, thanks to some late magic from Demon livewire Dane McLennan.
The win appeared to be safe in the Magpies’ keeping when Shane Biggs kicked truly late in the final term – but McLennan had other ideas, the onballer providing the spark with a great running goal, tying the scores with just seconds remaining.
The 82-apiece result allowed Wycheproof-Narraport to retain their top two spot and kept Boort inside the top four – ahead of reigning premiers Birchip-Watchem.
Wycheproof-Narraport coach Boe Bish had mixed emotions in the immediate aftermath of the chaotic finish.
“Two points are better than none, but it was one of those days where both teams had periods of the game where they had the momentum but didn’t make the most of it,” Bish said.
“There wasn’t much between either side all day and I suppose in the end, the final score is evidence of that.
“It was a very fast game, it bounced around between both half-back lines – both sides looked to move the ball pretty quickly, which opened things up at times and made for a pretty entertaining game.”
First-year Boort coach Dale Cameron expressed similar feelings.
“(Wycheproof-Narraport) were probably pretty happy, but I feel we let that one slip, which is disappointing,” Cameron said.
“It’s a good learning curve for our boys – our pressure was good, but we just couldn’t finish off and to be honest, our kicking at times was terrible.
“We just didn’t use the footy as well as we should have, we were our own worst enemy to be honest.”
Trailing by seven points at the main break, the Magpies clicked into gear in the third quarter, booting seven goals to three as Matthew Chisari led the way out of the centre square.
Damien Horbury was equally influential for the Demons however, cutting off many forward entries and rebounding with precision from defence.
After kicking nine goals last week against Wedderburn, Gedd Hommelhoff was kept goalless by Boort’s Jack Smith, while fellow defender Keiren Wilson was another impactful player for the home side.
Wycheproof-Narraport full back Spencer Allen did an equally good job on keeping Frasier Holland quiet, with the Magpies spearhead held to just two goals for the afternoon.
The big winner was Birchip-Watchem, with the Bulls recording their first win of the season in thumping style over Charlton, 28.9 (177) to 4.5 (29).
Full forward Ben Edwards was unstoppable, slamming home 11 goals to blow the winless Navies out of the water, while Nick Rippon dominated out of the middle in a display that showed the Bulls will still be one of the teams to beat despite a slow start.
Sea Lake Nandaly solidified their spot at the top of the North Central ladder, with a 110-point win over St Arnaud.
All eyes were on former AFL star Josh Jenkins, who kicked five goals on debut for the Tigers and looked ominous in support of joint coach Billy Mcinnes, who finished the macth with four goals of his own.
Last year’s runners-up Donald claimed their first points of the season with a 12.10 (82) to 9.7 (61) victory over Wedderburn, with the Royal Blues’ Sam Dunstan the hero with seven goals.
