A ROY George-inspired Tyntynder have climbed into the top five with a nail-biting six-point win over arch-rivals Swan Hill in Saturday’s traditional King’s Birthday weekend clash.
A three-goal midfield masterclass from George helped inspire his team to victory in a match full of highlights, with Swan Hill falling just short of breaking through for their first win of the season in the 15.13 (103) to 15.7 (97) result.
Played in front of a packed Alan Garden Reserve crowd and with former AFL players Dane Swan and Michael Hurley suiting up for Tyntynder and Swan Hill respectively, the home side held led for much of the afternoon, but were unable to put their crosstown rivals away.
The Swans kicked six of the last eight goals to come storming back into the contest in the final quarter.
While the bulk of the crowd were there to witness Brownlow medallist Swan’s solid display across half-back for the Bulldogs, it was Hurley who stole the show, with the former Essendon key position swingman booting seven goals for the afternoon.
Hurley would have indeed finished as the best player on the ground if not for the performance of George, who not only did the spectacular in booting three goals, including two in the final quarter to help keep the Swan Hill charge at bay, but also impacted around the stoppages with his speed and spread from the contest regularly breaking the game open.
In a game that was heavily contested, it was Tyntynder’s ability to move the ball effectively and efficiently on the outside that set them apart, with George leading the charge, along with Harry Simpson, Matthew King and Solomon McKay in the first half.
This was particularly evident when the Bulldogs booted four unanswered goals in time-on of the first quarter to go from trailing by four points to holding a 21-point lead at quarter-time.
It was Tyntynder’s speed and ball use that saw Jason Eagle (five goals) and Jayden Magro (two goals) provide a constant threat in the Bulldogs’ forward half, with Magro especially impactful as a high half-forward and key link man between defence and attack.
But while the home side were dangerous on the outside, Swan Hill were more than able to hold their own on the inside, with the Swans bettering their rivals around the stoppages and in contested ball.
The Swans had local players Buol Majur and Taj McMillan return to their line-up, with Majur not only helping to relieve Toby Thoolen of his ruck duties, but also giving the Swans the edge around the stoppages against Elia Ware.
Both Majur and Ware battled hard all afternoon, each having an impact around the ground at times, while McMillan also impacted with two crucial goals in the second quarter when the Swans managed to reduce the Bulldogs’ lead to just four points at half-time.
Another Swan to return for the must-win match was Jose Miliado, who was clearly still impacted by a hamstring strain he sustained against Cohuna three weeks ago and spent the entirety of the match inside forward 50.
Four unanswered goals to start the third quarter saw the Bulldogs kick away once again, with Eagle contributing two goals and having a hand in another to see the home side move 33 points clear and seemingly blow the game open.
That was until Kal Heslop entered the fray in the final quarter, with the Swan Hill forward providing his midfielders with another marking target inside 50 and kicking three goals inside the first 10 minutes of the final term to drag the margin back to just 10 points.
George then kicked third and final goal of the match to extend the Bulldogs’ lead, before Hurley twice marked and goaled inside time-on to reduce the margin back to one straight kick.
That would be as close as Swan Hill would get, however, with Tyntynder’s defence holding firm over the frantic final minutes to secure the four points and climb into the top five.
VOTES
3 – Roy George (Tyntynder)
2 – Michael Hurley (Swan Hill)
1 – Jayden Magro (Tyntynder)
