NYAH-Nyah West United staked the claim as a genuine finals contender with a 22-point victory over Swan Hill at the weekend.
The Demons find themselves fifth on the ladder courtesy of their 11.11 (77) to 8.7 (55) win and, with games against Tooleybuc-Manangatang and the Mallee Eagles to come, are in the box seat to play finals for the first time since 2017.
NNW United did not have things all their own way, with Swan Hill fighting the match right out until the final siren.
It may have been a different story if not for Matthew Wade, however, with the former Swan Hill coach instrumental in keeping his team in the game. Wade kicked three consecutive goals midway through the third quarter, dragging the Swans from a 34-point deficit to trail by just 16 points at the final break.
But, just when it looked like a comeback was on the cards, the home side rallied, closing the game down in the final quarter and turning it into an arm wrestle.
The only player with more influence on the outcome than Wade was NNW United’s Joel Walsh, who produced a dominant four-quarter performance in the Demons’ back half, both in his ability to intercept several of Swan Hill’s forward entries and set up countless attacking moves.
Leading into the match, the big question being asked was where the Swans’ goals were going to come from, especially with Zach Mihocek and Kal Heslop out of the side.
Apart from Wade and his third-quarter brilliance, that question turned into a problem, with Swan Hill having just four other goalkickers for the afternoon. The visitors struggled to convert their forward entries into shots on goal, with Walsh, Joel Campbell and Jaydyn Stirling mopping up much of the Swans’ onballers good work.
The Demons were hardly prolific up forward. Both teams were wasteful with the ball going forward.
The difference for NNW United was the presence of Hassan Ahmat-Watkins, who made the most of his opportunities in kicking four goals and helping to create several others.
The other pre-game big talking point was the Demons’ ability to constantly run and take the game on, which was on show in their one-point loss to Kerang seven days earlier.
For the first 20 minutes, it was nowhere to be seen, with Swan Hill doing an exceptional job of closing down NNW United’s handball chains and forcing them to instead move the ball by foot.
Unfortunately for the visitors, they were unable to contain the Demons’ runners for much longer than that, with the home side eventually breaking the game open with their trademark speed. Brayden Bigham and Ethan Saville were the catalysts in getting their team moving.
Swan Hill’s Toby Thoolen proved to be the dominant big man on the ground and was too strong for recruit Matt Gibbs, with the Demons occasionally running Alex Erlandson through the middle as the Swans veteran joined Wade in threatening to drag his side back into the game.
It was the Swans’ veterans who did the bulk of the heavy lifting, with Xavier Moloney also impactful in defence and Luke Phelan finding plenty of the ball.
Jose Miliado was another Swan who was a significant contributor, however his day ended prematurely after an arm injury in the final quarter.
While the win puts NNW United inside the top five, the Swans’ inferior percentage relegated them to seventh despite having the same number of wins as the Demons ahead of a must-win match against the Cohuna Kangas on Saturday.
FINAL SIREN
| NNW United | 4.2 | 7.3 | 10.8 | 11.11 | 77 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swan | 2.3 | 3.4 | 7.6 | 8.7 | 55 |
VOTES
3 – Joel Walsh (NNW United)
2 – Matthew Wade (Swan Hill)
1 – Brayden Bigham (NNW United)
