KERANG continued their perfect start to the season at the weekend, registering their 11th straight win defeating a competitive Mallee Eagles at Lalbert by 49 points.
It was a solid performance from the Eagles, representing a 112-point turnaround after Kerang embarrassed them by 161 points in round 2.
Kerang coach Troy Coates was impressed with both the opposition and his own team’s opening 30 minutes against a side who has troubled them at times in previous seasons.
“I was pretty impressed with their (Mallee Eagles) effort,” Coates said.
“We played them earlier in the year and gave them a bit of a touch-up, admittedly when they had a few out.
“But with guys like Harry Allen, Beau Bennett and a several good local players, plus being on their home deck where they always play well, we knew they’d be competitive.
“We got a bit of a jump on them early with seven goals to one, which was pleasing because sometimes we just don’t play our best footy against teams we’re expected to beat until the second half.”
The 14.15 (99) to 7.8 (50) win came at a cost for the Blues, however, after Jack Daglish succumbed to a hamstring strain in the opening 10 minutes.
After regaining a number of their injured stars in the past fortnight, Kerang’s injury list is again starting to grow, with Daglish joining Ryan Gillingham (calf), Michael Dalrymple (hamstring), Lachlan Ross (hamstring), Marty Kelly (suspension) and Troy Davis on the sidelines.
While their injury list swells once more, one returning player was Tyson Clingan, the young midfielder having an immediate impact as a small forward with three goals.
Starting on the wing, Clingan moved forward to stand Andrew McDonald, who was deployed as a loose man behind the ball to clog up Kerang’s forward half.
While McDonald had an impact for the Eagles, so too did Clingan, who went to work at ground level inside Kerang’s forward 50 to finish with three goals for the match, along with Bradlee Pay and Rylee Smith.
The Clingan move pushed Sean Hunter to a wing, with last season’s Central Murray rookie of the year also among the Blues’ best players.
The Eagles had their moments after quarter-time, with their ability to maintain possession helping to nullify Kerang’s slick ball movement, and if not for their slow start, the final margin would have certainly been a lot closer.
Shaun Harrison found plenty of the ball in the midfield, along with Beau Bennett, Darcy McGregor and Harry Allen, while youngster Harry McGregor played perhaps his best senior game in the blue and gold.
Paul Davis up forward and Zac O’Meara across half-back were also solid contributors for the home side, but it was Kerang’s superior fitness, according to Coates, that proved the difference.
“Our fitness and our ability to get teams on the outside and cover the ground is next level,” Coates said.
“Our best players continue to be Josh Nitschke, Rylee Smith, Sam Heavyside, Josh Hann, Sean Hunter, because they have elite running ability and it stands out in our competition.
“Opposition teams can’t shut them all down and to be honest, in my time coaching at Kerang, certainly in terms of our running ability, I don’t think we’ve had a stronger side.
“It’s not just our speed, but also those guys’ elite fitness that I think sets our midfield apart.”
While Heavyside, Smith and Nitschke were again among Kerang’s better players, so too was key defender Ash Davis.
Kerang will this week host 10th-placed Tooleybuc-Manangatang, while the Eagles will travel to Lake Boga.
FINAL SIREN
| Mallee Eagles | 1.3 | 3.6 | 5.7 | 7.8 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kerang | 6.2 | 9.6 | 1.12 | 14.15 | 99 |
VOTES
3 – Sam Heavyside (Kerang)
2 – Sean Hunter (Kerang)
1 – Beau Bennett (Mallee Eagles)
