KERANG were made to earn their 10th win of the season and keep their unbeaten season intact, holding off a fast-finishing Swan Hill side by 16 points at Riverside Park.
On a day when the home side celebrated their 2013 premiership, the Swans were far from intimidated, with the wet and blustery conditions turning the game into a contested scrap and playing into the hands of the visitors.
While Swan Hill finished the match with a flurry of goals, coming from seven goals down midway through the final term, Kerang’s start proved to be the difference.
The blues kicked four unanswered goals to start the match and give themselves a 26-point lead at quarter-time.
The Swans fought back in the second quarter before Kerang again put their foot down after half-time with the wind at their back, eventually claiming a hard-fought 9.10 (64) to 6.12 (48) victory.
The news wasn’t all good for the Blues, however, with Michael Dalrymple set for an extended period on the sidelines after straining a hamstring in the opening quarter.
Dalrymple looked set for a big day, with the key position swingman kicking two goals before leaving the field, forcing the Blues into a positional reshuffle.
Dalrymple will be joined on the sidelines by Ryan Gillingham, who was a late withdrawal with a calf injury, although Nick Lang, Troy Coates and Brad Pay all returned from injury against the Swans and got through unscathed.
After the match Kerang coach Troy Coates was happy to claim the four points in the difficult conditions, but admired the opposition’s effort.
“(Swan Hill) were pretty good, I was impressed with what they produced and it’s easy to see why they upset quality teams like Cohuna earlier in the season,” Coates said.
“They’re a very well drilled side and are definitely on the right path.
“We were saying before the game they’re a side that you never get on top of easily because they’re disciplined, well drilled and have a go, and that’s pretty much what they produced.”
While Matthew Wade was at his influential best in the midfield, Jose Miliado was equally as impactful through the middle with his creative ball use.
But the visitors just didn’t have the depth to go with Kerang in the centre, with the Blues midfielders eventually wearing the Swans down throughout the stoppage-heavy contest.
Marty Kelly, Josh Nitschke, Sam Heavyside and Rylee Smith were dominant in the middle, with Nitschke and Smith coming in for special praise from Coates thanks to their ability to run and carry the ball in the conditions.
“We were lucky enough to score a couple of goals into the wind, which was really hard to do, and we did that through our ability to break the lines and run,” Coates said.
“We have some elite runners in our side who don’t get the credit they deserve at times, guys like Rylee Smith, Josh Nitschke, Hayden Hall and Sean Hunter.
“These boys have breakaway speed and in conditions like that, we wouldn’t have been able to score those goals without them.
“We weren’t going to be able to score by kicking our way through it, so the message was to tuck the ball under the arm and have a go.”
Lachlan Ross was another strong performer for Kerang across half-back, while Josh Hunter continued his good form in defence for the Blues.
Along with Wade and Miliado, Tom Holdstock and Luke Phelan had a big impact in defence and around the ground for Swan Hill, while Zach Mihocek impressed in his first game back up forward.
Swan Hill big man Toby Thoolen was another Swan who could be pleased with his afternoon’s work, having battled manfully against Lang and Troy Davis in the ruck, breaking even.
FINAL SIREN
| KERANG | 4.3 | 5.5 | 7.8 | 9.10 | 64 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWAN HILL | 0.1 | 2.6 | 2.7 | 6.12 | 48 |
VOTES
3 – Marty Kelly (Kerang)
2 – Matthew Wade (Swan Hill)
1 – Josh Nitschke (Kerang)
