SWAN Hill kept their slim finals hopes alive with a two-goal victory over fellow finals contenders Cohuna on Saturday.
Cohuna will now need both Swan Hill and NNW United to drop both games to make the top five, after losing 13.8 (86) to 11.8 (74).
Swans coach Cal Beasy said his side stood up to a stern test from the Kangas, particularly in the muddy midfield battle.
“It was quite a big game for both of these clubs, obviously we both needed to win so there was a fair bit on the line,” he said.
“It was pretty tight for most of the game, I think it only got out to a four-goal margin at most.
“But they just keep coming at us all game, especially with those conditions, that kept us pretty close.”
Beasy said the heavy conditions slowed Swan Hill’s quick ball movement, but they were rewarded for their persistence.
“It was really a pretty even performance from both sides,” he said.
“We’ve both got a few similar sort of players in the middle, but I think our mids were able to get on top early.
“We had a lot of control of the ball early, but I think we just didn’t make the best decisions that we could have with ball in hand.
“Especially with getting the ball into forward areas, we were just rushing it a bit and not making the right choices.”
Matthew Wade was one of the Swans midfielders who showed a relentless work rate, as he battled against Cohuna ball-winner Joel Helman.
Beasy said the work of his ruckman Tobias Thoolen was also crucial on a day where it was difficult to find space in the midfield.
“Toby was on top of his opponent for much of the day,” he said.
“He worked really hard today to give our mids first use of the footy.
“Obviously it was a pretty slippery game, and a bit hard to get a handle on the footy at times but Toby really made a difference for us.
“He’s been huge all season for us, he very rarely has a bad game.”
Kallen Hislop was another of the Swans best performers, kicking four goals in the wet. Xavier Moloney and Jose Milliado continued their fine form, while Sonny Beasy impressed across the ground.
For Cohuna, Jack Donat put in another great performance alongside Daniel Paterson, Jarrod Findlay and Jake Hammond.
With two games left in the season, Swan Hill will need to win out the rest of their games if they want to play on into the finals.
They will take on cross-town rivals Tyntynder next week.
“We just have to keep winning now if we want to keep our finals hopes alive,” Beasy said.
“Obviously it’s another crunch game for us next week, but there’s always just a little bit extra on the line between us and Tyntynder.
“We’re really looking forward to that challenge.”
Cohuna will host Tooleybuc-Manangatang.
FINAL SIREN
| Swan Hill | 5.1 | 10.3 | 12.5 | 13.8 | 86 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cohuna | 4.1 | 6.3 | 8.7 | 11.8 | 74 |
VOTES:
3 Votes: Matthew Wade – Swan Hill
2 Votes: Daniel Paterson – Cohuna
1 Vote: Sonny Beasy – Swan Hill
