BALRANALD were far too strong for a gallant Nyah-Nyah West United on Saturday, running out convincing 37-point winners
Played in front of a large crowd with the Nyah ground being presented in near-perfect condition, given the rain during the week, the Roos won 15.12 (102) to 10.5 (65).
Former Geelong premiership player Nathan Ablett withdrew due to a hamstring strain sustained on Thursday night, while the talented Jarrod Stokes returned to the Demons line-up.
The final margin didn’t reflect the intensity of the match, with both teams applying heavy pressure to the ball carrier all afternoon with a finals-type intensity.
In the final analysis, the difference was the way the Balranald players used the football clinically through the midfield and in particularly in their forward half.
While the Roos had first use of a three-goal wind advantage, the Demons who struck first when Jarrod Skinner, Dean Harrop and Joel Walsh combined to find the elusive Hassan Ahmat-Watkins for the first of his four goals.
The Demons were looking good as they ran with purpose and hit their targets by both hand and foot, which enabled them to take the early ascendancy.
The Roos seemed a little rattled early, as NNW United’s onballers Ethan Saville and Dom Gallo controlled the ball around the pack, while veteran Joel Campbell had the better of Ben Fuller in defence and Skinner was dominant across half-back.
Balranald seemed to settle midway through the term, with Kobe Lloyd becoming a headache for the home side as he began to pick up possessions all over the ground.
Lloyd snapped truly from 30 metres, and long bombs from Jordan Wilkins and Ryan Middlebrook meant NNW United’s lead had been cut to a solitary point at the first change.
The Roos wrestled back control of the contest by booting five goals to two in the second term, with Drew Lloyd becoming a target up forward, kicking two as well as having a hand in several others.
Jordan Wilkins went up a level, dominating ruck contests, along with Jydon Neagle, who was controlling the pack situations as the Demons’ skill level began to deteriorate.
NNW United turned the ball over far too easily and their systematic playseemed to desert them, although late goals to Alex Erlandson and Riley Daniels brought the margin back to 21 points.
Corey Daniels swung the changes in the third term, with Erlandson going into the ruck and having an immediate effect, with Joel Walsh splitting the big sticks in the opening passage of play.
The Demons lifted their work rate and started to look a lot better, with Gallo, Saville, Harrop, Charlie Boulton and Ethan Curran coming into the game.
Balranald regrouped however, with Drew Lloyd kicking two clever goals and his brother Kobe chipping for his second, with Wilkins and the Neagle brothers Jydon, Matthew and Jaxon all snuffing out any thought of a Demons comeback.
Wilkins arguably took the mark of the day as he flew high over the pack, much to the delight of the Balranald faithful, while Fuller broke the shackles, booting two majors for the term.
Unfortunately for the Roos, their captain Josh Hodgson left the field with a suspected knee injury midway through the final term.
The last quarter was an even contest, with the Roos kicking three goals to the Demons’ two as Wilkins got back on top of Erlandson and Larkins in the ruck to earn best of ground honours, with Jydon Neagle not far behind.
For NNW United, players such as Skinner, Campbell, Erlandson and Harrop could hold their heads high after the game.
FINAL SIREN
| NNW United | 3.3 | 5.3 | 8.3 | 10.5 | 65 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balranald | 3.2 | 8.6 | 12.9 | 15.12 | 102 |
VOTES
3 – Jordan Wilkins (Balranald)
2 – Jydon Neagle (Balranald)
1 – Drew Lloyd (Balranald)
