NYAH-Nyah West United face an anxious wait in the final round after doing all they could to secure a finals berth with an 85-point win over the Mallee Eagles.
The 23.6 (144) to 8.11 (59) result ensures the Demons finish the home-and-away season on nine wins, with the bye to come this Saturday.
It leaves them in fourth spot but vulnerable to being pushed out of the top five if both Lake Boga and Swan Hill win their final games. Lake Boga faces bottom side Koondrook-Barham and should win, but Swan Hill would need to upset second-placed Balranald to dislodge the Dees.
NNW United co-coach Corey Daniels said he was hopeful of doing some damage in September if they can make it through.
“It was good to finish the year with a strong win and playing some good footy,” Daniels said.
“Hopefully, if results go our way, we’ll be playing again in the first week of the finals and you never know what can happen from there.
“It was pleasing to finish the way we did and, fingers crossed, things go our way.”
The Demons’ main strength this year has been their outside run and speed and it was again on show against the Eagles, as they piled on 22 goals to six after quarter-time.
“We just needed to get the ball into space and use our leg speed,” Daniels said.
“We probably played into their hands a little bit in the first quarter and the game was a bit scrappy.
“We tried to do too much and all we needed to do was get the ball into space, whether that was with a punch or a kick, we just needed to get it into space because we knew we had the leg speed.”
Daniels said while it wasn’t the Demons’ best kicking display, the run and carry was important in ensuring quick entries inside 50.
“Having (Hassan Ahmat-Watkins) and (Jarrod Stokes) back helped a lot in that area,” he said.
“Hass is a competitor, he’s not your typical lead-out-of-the-goal square full forward, he gets dangerous inside 50 and his pressure is really good as well.”
Ahmat-Watkins had a day out, finishing with seven goals and best-on-ground honours.
Underrated midfielder Ethan Saville continued his good form in the second half of the season to be a standout in the centre, along with Kayne Davidson, while defenders Campbell Everitt, Zach Threadgold and Joel Walsh were also among NNW United’s better players.
On another forgettable day for the Eagles, Angus McKenzie stood up in the ruck, while the consistent Harry Allen, Beau Bennett and Brent Macleod were also named in the best.
FINAL SIREN
| NNW United | 1.2 | 8.3 | 16.5 | 23.6 | 144 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mallee Eagles | 2.3 | 3.6 | 6.10 | 8.11 | 59 |
VOTES
3 – Hassan Ahmat-Watkins (NNW United)
2 – Ethan Saville (NNW United)
1 – Campbell Everitt (NNW United)
