AFTER six straight losses to start the season, Tyntynder are finally on the board in 2025 after defeating an inaccurate Kerang by 25 points on the weekend.
The Bulldogs were exceptional after quarter time, outscoring last year’s grand finalists eight goals to three after the first break, including keeping the Blues goalless in the second term.
As impressive as Tyntynder were however, Kerang only have themselves to blame after kicking themselves out of the match with just five goals from 18 scoring shots in the 10.8 (68) to 5.13 (43) result.
For Darcy Bibby, it was a performance that was a long time coming, with the Tyntynder co-coach pleased with his team’s response following a disappointing display against the Mallee Eagles seven days earlier.
“It’s about time really, we’ve had a few close games this season but it was really good to get that one on the board, especially against a team who’s won a few games themselves,” Bibby said post-match.
“We’ve had a bit of an issue with coming out of the blocks a bit slow at times, I think that cost us when we lost to Balranald, and then again last weekend the Mallee Eagles had 19 scoring shots in the first quarter.
“To come out strong and then hold it for the whole game was really good because they (Kerang) are a pretty young side by the looks of it, but so are we at the same time.
“Trying to maintain that four quarter effort has been a challenge, but I think we almost won every quarter on the scoreboard, which is a big thing for us actually.”
Although their four quarter effort was a key factor in the Bulldogs’ win, so too was their ability to restrict the influence of Kerang full-forward Zak Bozanich, who was held goalless after kicking eight goals against Balranald last weekend.
Patrick Crowe was the man tasked with curbing the impact of the Blues’ key forward, with help also regularly coming from Elliott Broad, Harry Simpson and Angus Crowe.
Broad was dominant in the Bulldogs’ defensive half of the ground with his ability to read the play and intercept seeing him end the day as one of the better players, with Mick Dedini the only player to have more impact on the contest, with his sublime ball use regularly setting up many of the home team’s attacking plays.
The other big difference according to Bibby was his team’s ability to lock the ball in their attacking 50, with youngsters Cayden Dalton, Coady Gorringe, Eddy Schifferle and Seno Fifita earning special praise from their coach.
“The game was probably suited to our structure and game plan somewhat, but our forward pressure was so much better than it has been previously too,” Bibby said.
“When we’ve gone forward over the last couple of weeks, we probably haven’t had much to kick to, so just having some presentation down forward with the younger blokes helped as well.
“We’ve been kicking shallow entries prior to Saturday and they just bounce back out, so to have the younger blokes step up and put a ton of defensive forward pressure on was really good.
“It just helped us get it down there and keep it in there and play the game on our terms.”
Elia Ware, Josh Potter, Bailey Reeves and Kyle Doran were also among the Bulldogs’ better players, while Marty Kelly continued his good recent form to be one of the best for Kerang, especially in the last quarter.
Tyson Clingan, Cooper Meehan, Scott Pay and Jonah McKnight were also among the Blues’ best, along with Archer Dibsdale, who helped to curb the influence of Josh Potter in the ruck after he was shifted into the middle from centre half back.
Although it was a day of joy for Tyntynder, it was a missed opportunity for Kerang, with Blues coach Paul Grayling lamenting his team’s endeavour after the game.
“We just weren’t good enough and they (Tyntynder) wanted it more,” Grayling said.
“We weren’t switched on and we didn’t cash in when we had the momentum and they did.
“We’re a young group and will take some learnings out of the game and work on them on the track so we can improve and bounce back at our next opportunity.”
SCORES
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final Score |
| Tyntynder | 2.2 | 4.6 | 7.8 | 10.8 | 68 |
| Kerang | 2.4 | 2.6 | 4.7 | 5.13 | 43 |
VOTES
3 – Mick Dedini (Tyntynder)
2 – Elliott Broad (Tyntynder)
1 – Marty Kelly (Kerang)
