FINALS aspirants Lake Boga snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a thrilling five-point win over Tyntynder on Saturday.
The Bulldogs outplayed the Magpies across the first three quarters, playing like a team with nothing to lose to set up a 28-point lead at three-quarter time.
But Lake Boga refused to lie down, producing a six goal to one final quarter to win 10/14 (74) to 10.9 (69) and move a game clear of the chasing pack in fourth.
It was yet another missed opportunity for the Bulldogs, who have now dropped seven of their past eight games in a season littered with what could have been moments.
While far from their best performance of the season, Lake Boga co-coach Angus Monfries was just happy to get the four points.
“We got the job done, which is the main thing, we weren’t at our best for three quarters and then we finally clicked into gear in the last,” Monfries said.
“It started from winning the ball out of the centre, we got on top in terms of centre clearances and were able to get the ball going forward and give our forwards plenty of opportunites.
“That was a big part of the momentum swinging back in our favour and getting over the line in the end.
“Our energy levels were a down a bit and we just weren’t as intense and our tackling pressure wasn’t where it’s been for most of the year.”
Monfries admitted it was a concern that it took his team three quarters to get their game to the level required.
“Take nothing away from Tyntynder, they played some great footy and denied us of the ball with their chip-mark style of footy – they had our measure for the first three quarters and we were lucky enough to get away with it in the end,” he said.
Daniel Dzufer across half back returned to form in just his third match for the season, while Matt Taverna in defence and Lochie Laing, who finished with a game high four goals, were other key players for Lake Boga.
But while Dzufer produced Lake Boga’s best four quarter performance, the game changer was a veteran Magpie who was thrown onto the ball, according to Monfries.
“We put Jayden Lonergan in the middle just to get that extra big body in there,” Monfries said.
“Along with Tyle Williams and Jacob Simpson, and Nathaniel Holmes-Brown, they were the guys that got the ball going forward and took control in the last quarter.”
For Tyntynder, young gun Matthew Gillbee continued his sensational first season in the red, white and blue to be a clear best on ground.
Harry Simpson, Brock Storer, Zac Denham, Eliott Broad and Jordi Bibby, who kicked three goals, along with Jason Eagle, were also among the Bulldogs better players.
The five-point result keeps Lake Boga’s destiny in their own hands, but with tough games against Balranald and Woorinen to come over the next fortnight, Monfries knows his team will need to lift their game in order to maintain their spot inside the five.
“Hopefully we can build on our fourth quarter and take some momentum into this week’s game against Balranald,” Monfries said.
“They had a massive win on the weekend and between them and Kerang, they are the two form sides.
“We played them earlier in the year and were a bit disappointed with how we played, so it’ll be a good challenge for us this week at home to see if we can turn that result around.”
FINAL SIREN
| Tyntynder | 4.3 | 6.4 | 9.9 | 10.9 | 69 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Boga | 1.3 | 3.7 | 4.11 | 10.14 | 74 |
VOTES
3 – Matthew Gillbee (Tyntynder)
2 – Daniel Dzufer (Lake Boga)
1 – Jayden Lonergan (Lake Boga)
