BALRANALD claimed a mammoth 172-point win against Koondrook-Barham, but their win may have come at a high cost.
The River Raiders were helpless against the efficient forward movement of Balranald, who piled on the goals to win 29.23 (197) to 4.1 (25).
The Roos were without Jordan Wilkins for much of the game, after the Balranald ruckman left the ground in the first term with a suspected broken elbow.
Fellow talls Drew Lloyd and Nathan Ablett took over Wilkins’ duties for the rest of the game.
But Ablett himself left the ground in the third term with hamstring tightness. While he didn’t return for the final term, it’s believed his absence was only precautionary.
Balranald coach Jydon Neagle said he believed his side had the ruck depth to fill the gap left by the loss of Wilkins.
“Drew Lloyd was our ruckman for pretty much all of last year with Jordan,” he said.
“So we know that he has pretty great hops and that he is a strong boy as well.
“The fact that he can get up that high and give us first use of the ball, but he can also run around as another midfielder, means he’s a very handy weapon for us.
“It’s really nice for us to have that depth in such an important position.”
Balranald’s midfield superiority meant that their forwards were receiving repeat inside-50s, keeping Koondrook-Barham’s defenders under the pump for the game.
With the result a formality by half-time, attention shifted to Balranald’s goalkickers.
Ben Fuller was was the leader, finishing the game with eight goals to his name, two goals more than midfielder Ethan Gant, who starred for the Roos.
Neagle, who finished with five goals, said he and his fellow forwards were keeping each other on their toes.
“There was a fair bit of banter going on between us forwards,”
“I think Ben (Fuller) might have the goalkicking leaderboard in his mind, so we were stirring each other a little bit.
“I think we both had over 10 or 11 scoring shots each, so it’d be nice if we could tidy up that goalkicking a little bit more as well.”
Colin McVeigh and Reagan Hamilton continued to give their all for Koondrook-Barham, while Chester Gardner worked hard to get hands to the footy.
But the Roos didn’t take their foot off the gas when it came to their forward pressure, with their coach stressing the importance of defending from the front.
“It’s easy to come into a game like this and everyone is running after the footy chasing a goal,” Neagle said.
“I think a lot of our shots on goal came off the back of our intent to get to the football first and our defensive run, and just our attack to win the ball.”
With only three games left until the finals, Balranald’s coach said the big win could have a say on the final standings.
“It’s obviously going to be pretty tight at the end of the season between the top three,” Neagle said. “I think percentage will probably play a role in it.
“If we can get a win back on Kerang, we can hopefully be in that fight for top spot.
“We just need them to slip up in one of the close games, and hopefully we can get on top of them when they come here.
“We’re really focused on playing out a full four quarters against everyone.”
While Koondrook-Barham will face Woorinen, Balranald continue their march toward the finals by taking on Lake Boga away.
Although they will be without their No.1 ruckman, Neagle said his side were up for the challenge.
“Boga play their ground really well, so it’ll be a good challenge to come up against now,” he said.
“Hopefully we can get through that game unscathed and then take on Kerang at home.”
FINAL SIREN
| Balranald | 8.7 | 14.16 | 24.17 | 29.23 | 197 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koondrook Barham | 3.- | 3.- | 4.1 | 4.1 | 25 |
VOTES
3 – Ethan Gant (Balranald)
2 – Ben Fuller (Balranald)
1 – Jydon Neagle (Balranald)
