A seven-goal haul from Zach Mihocek helped Swan Hill keep their finals dream alive with a 27-point win over Tyntynder in Saturday’s crosstown derby.
If the Swans can upset Balranald in the final round they can guarantee themselves a place in the top five at the likely expense of NNW United.
Swan Hill coach Cal Beasy said while he was satisfied with the performance on Saturday, a tougher test awaits the Swans in four day’s time.
“It (Saturday) was much the same as last week, the boys knew what they were playing for and put the effort in to make sure we got the result, which was really pleasing,” Beasy said.
“Nobody really expects us to beat Balranald and we’ll go in as underdogs with not much to lose, so we’ll just go out there, have a free crack at them and see what we can get done.
“They (Balranald) have dropped their last couple of games to Lake Boga and Kerang, so they’ll be looking to bounce back themselves before finals.
“We know it’ll be a tough game, but we’ll just go into it with the mindset of throwing everything at them.”
Mihocek’s seven goals proved to be the difference in the 13.16 (94) to 10.7 (67) result, cashing in on the supply from veterans Matthew Wade, Xavier Moloney, Tom Holdstock and Luke Phelan, while Bulldogs full-forward Jason Eagle was the only other player to kick multiple goals with four.
Outside of Roy George, who won several crucial clearances and was particularly damaging late in the game, Tyntynder were well beaten out of the centre and around the stoppages.
“We had a lot of the ball, but we didn’t put the scoreboard pressure on early despite controlling much of the play,” Beasy said.
“We would have had 75 per cent of the play in the first quarter and just didn’t make the most of our opportunites.
“I was confident that we would straighten up later on in the day, which we did.”
Beasy said Mihocek was “huge for us” and could have kicked an even bigger bag.
“After the first quarter, we sort of straightened up and got a bit more economical with our forward entries and scoreboard pressure, which was good,” he said.
Toby Thoolen produced yet another dominant performance in the ruck, while talented youngster Lachlan Vrolijks was a key contributor.
For the Bulldogs, Josh Stone worked tirelessly out of the middle, while Zac Denham, Cayden Crowe, Sam Bull, George and Eagle were among the better players.
The only downside for the Swans was an ankle injury to inside midfielder Brandon Houlihan, with the key onballer expected to miss Saturday’s must-win match against Balranald.
Tyntynder will play Tooleybuc-Manangatang in the final match of the season for both sides.
FINAL SIREN
| Tyntynder | 2.2 | 5.4 | 7.5 | 10.7 | 67 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swan Hill | 3.5 | 6.9 | 8.13 | 13.16 | 94 |
VOTES
3 – Zach Mihocek (Swan Hill)
2 – Toby Thoolen (Swan Hill)
1 – Roy George (Tyntynder)
