THE Cohuna Kangas will go into their must-win clash with Balranald full of confidence following a strong second-half performance in their 31-point win over Tyntynder at the weekend.
After trailing the Bulldogs by five points at the main break, the Kangas turned it on after the resumption, kicking seven goals to two in the second half, blowing the game open despite their inaccuracy in front of goal.
The 10.16 (76) to 6.9 (45) win sets up a mouth-watering clash with second-placed Balranald following the league-wide bye, with Kangas coach Tyson Findlay looking forward to the challenge of facing one of the Central Murray’s in-form teams.
“If we can continue our current form, we’ll go up there with confidence that we can knock (Balranald) off,” Findlay said.
“We’re looking forward to the challenge, to be honest. We’re expecting a hostile environment and it’ll be good to see where we’re at.
“We’ve been ticking off the wins and winning the games we’re expected to, but now we’ll come up against a really good opponent and hopefully we can play to our best.”
While the Kangas started well against Tyntynder, it soon turned pear-shaped in the second quarter as the visitors lifted their effort and intensity around the ball.
The Bulldogs pushed numbers behind the football in an effort to combat the Kangas’ key forwards, with the plan helped by winning a number of clearances and giving their key forwards a number of good opportunities to hit the scoreboard.
With Jason Eagle missing from Tyntynder’s line-up, they at times lacked a big marking target however, which allowed the Kangas to swing Jake Hammond forward in the second half with great effect.
Hammond took several contested marks that resulted in shots on goal and became a handful in the second half as a forward alongside Rhys Free.
Cohuna’s midfield of Sam McGlone, Joel Helman and Jack and Angus Donat started to get their hands on the ball.
Injuries and yellow cards to several key Bulldogs only exacerbated their plight in the third quarter.
“Our big emphasis, especially off a two-week break, was to bring the right mindset and bring the pressure from the outset,” Findlay said.
“It was always going to be challenging after two weeks off, but I thought the boys brought the pressure really well and used the ball well in the first quarter.
“We lapsed in the second quarter, which was a bit disappointing, but we put it on the group after half-time and realistically, if we had of kicked straight, we could’ve put the game to bed in the third term.
“We put a fair bit of emphasis on playing our style of footy and the boys responded really well.
“(Tyntynder) like to hold on to the footy and chip it around. When we were playing good footy, we were able to pressure them and force them to kick it long, which really played into our hands.”
While Helman and McGlone were the standouts for the Kangas, Isaiah Bull was just as impactful on the ball for Tyntynder. His work rate in the second half kept his side in the contest, along with the efforts of Harry Simpson, Mick Dedini, Patrick Crowe and Matthew Gillbee.
Will Thrum and Daniel Paterson were consistent performers across half-back for the Kangas, while the Donat brothers showed plenty of run on the wings.
The only negative for the Kangas were ankle injuries to Christopher Anderson and Dylan Friedberger, with the latter playing his first game back at his home club. Both were expected to be fit to face Balranald in a fortnight’s time.
FINAL SIREN
| Cohuna | 2.4 | 3.6 | 7.14 | 10.16 | 76 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyntynder | 0.3 | 4.5 | 5.7 | 6.9 | 45 |
VOTES
3 – Sam McGlone (Cohuna)
2 – Joel Helman (Cohuna)
1 – Isaiah Bull (Tyntynder)
