WOORINEN have put a dent in the finals hopes of Nyah-Nyah West United, claiming a 19-point win in unfavourable conditions.
The Demons kept up the pace until an ill-disciplined final term allowed the Tigers to run away 10.4 (64) to 6.9 (45) victors.
Woorinen tightened their hold on third spot, only a game behind Balranald in second.
A five-minute downpour in the first term left both teams scrambling with the ball, and NNW United’s fast-paced ball movement was better suited to the conditions.
Demons co-coach Corey Daniels said his side thrived when the ball was moving quickly.
“We want to run and take off whenever we can,” he said.
“We probably didn’t do it for long enough. In the second and third quarters, we just didn’t take the game on.
“At times I think we got a bit scared to take the game on, which really played into their hands. For 95 per cent of the game we played really good footy.”
Woorinen, however, struggled to get their precise kick-mark game up and going early.
Coach Marcus Demaria said the conditions had a large impact on his side’s game plan.
“We struggle a bit with the wind and rain,” he said.
“When we have to change from our game plan and play on instinct, we struggle a bit to make those changes.”
Goals were hard to come by in the first half, with the ball being corralled near the far boundary line for much of the game.
Demaria said he was unhappy with his side’s tactical choices in the first term.
“A lot of it was just the usual stuff,” he said.
“Not sticking to the game plan or sticking to our structures.
“The first thing written up on our whiteboard was attack the clubroom side.
“We just didn’t take that on board early on, so that was a bit disappointing for me.”
Early in the final term, the two sides were looking set to play out a nail-biter with only a goal in it.
But with close to 20 minutes remaining, the Demons were forced to play with two less players due to two undisciplined send-offs.
Demaria said the moment had come with a breath of relief, as he thought NNW United had been the better side.
“In all honesty, I thought we were pretty ordinary,” he said.
“I’d say it was a lucky four points for us. We had a few OK patches but the rest of it was a bit inconsistent.
“When they had the two sent off, I was kind of just rubbing my hands together thinking ‘Geez, we’ve gotten away with this’.”
Young Demon Ethan Curran worked hard across the ground for most of the day, as did namesake Ethan Saville.
The Tigers’ best included in-form forward Henry Thompson, ruckman Liam Gardner and the ever-reliable Josh Domaille.
Woorinen will face Tyntynder this week, while NNW United will face another crucial game against Lake Boga.
The Demons will be hoping to get revenge for their one-point loss to the Magpies in round 2.
FINAL SIREN
| WOORINEN | 0.0 | 3.2 | 6.3 | 10.4 | 64 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NNW UNITED | 2.7 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 6.9 | 45 |
VOTES
3 – Henry Thompson (Woorinen)
2 – Ethan Curran (NNW United)
1 – Josh Domaille (Woorinen)
