BIRCHIP-Watchem have a stranglehold on a top-two finish after a hard fought 16-point win over Donald in a rematch of last year’s grand final.
The win reverses the result of their round 5 encounter and put the Bulls a game plus percentage clear in second spot ahead of Nullawil on the North Central ladder.
Birchip-Watchem got away to a flyer in the see-sawing battle, kicking six unanswered goals in the opening quarter to lead by 37 points, before Donald fought back in the second term to reduce the margin to 18 points.
The Bulls again came out hard in the second half, pushing their lead out to 38 points at the final change, before a late surge from the home side again reduced the margin, leading to some nervous moments for the Birchip-Watchem faithful.
There would be no comeback this time, however, with the Bulls holding firm over the final minutes to win 15.11 (101) to 13.7 (85).
Birchip-Watchem coach Trevor Ryan was happy with his side’s effort, particularly in winning the contested ball, which the veteran coach said was a major factor in the win.
“We won a bit more contested footy around the ground I felt, which gave us a lot more opportunities to go inside-50 entries where Ben (Edwards) made the most of his chances,” Ryan said.
“Inside 50s were probably in our favour and that was all due to winning the contested ball through the midfield.
“We lacked those contested footy numbers last time we played them, due mainly to having a couple of younger players in the ruck against Potter, so to get ‘Fridge’ (Lochlan Sirett) back was a bonus.”
Edwards was the dominant player on the ground, the key forward kicking eight goals, with strong contributions for the Bulls also coming from Darcy Reid, Joseph Reid and Dale Hinkley across half-back.
The Rippon brothers – Marshall and Nick – also found plenty of the ball in the midfield, while Ryan’s decision to tag Donald playmaker Ross Young with Lachlan Ryan also proved a key move.
“(Young) normally gets a lot of ball between the arcs and in general play, so we tried to nullify that area by tagging him,” Ryan said.
“(Donald) rely on him transferring the footy through their midfield as much as they can, so to keep him quiet definitely helped with the result.”
Sam Dunstan kicked five goals for Donald in a strong performance, considering the limited opportunities he had, while ruckman Josh Potter, Dyson Bell-Warren, Rian McGough and James Wall were also among the better players.
Birchip-Watchem will this week face Wedderburn, who had a comfortable 75-point win over Boort at the weekend.
The Redbacks were far too good for the Magpies in a dominant four-quarter performance, with Wedderburn’s Tom Campbell kicking five and Sam Barnes four goals in the 18.21 (129) to 8.6 (54) win.
Jackson McEwen and Jordan Rosengren were the best for the home side, Frasier Holland played a lone hand up forward for the Magpies with four goals.
Elsewhere, Wycheproof-Narraport kept their finals hopes alive with a 66-point win over lowly St Arnaud, with the Demons sitting just outside the top four.
Their 13.8 (86) to 2.8 (20) victory has the Demons sitting behind both Nullawil and Donald by half a game, and facing a must-win match against the Maroons this Saturday that will go a long way to determining both clubs’ finals chances.
The Maroons were forced to come from behind to secure the four points against Donald, with the Navies taking it right up to the finals aspirants in the first half, before fading in the second to go down by 27 points.
The 14.14 (98) to 11.5 (71) win by Nullawil was their eighth of the season, and moving them to third on the ladder thanks to four-goal hauls from Dean Smith and Adam Thomson.
