WOORINEN continued their dominance over the Central Murray competition on the weekend, with the Tigers claiming bragging rights over former coach Marcus Demaria with a 45-point win over Koondrook-Barham.
It was Woorinen’s ninth straight win to start the season, with the Tigers now sitting two games clear on top of the ladder ahead of a season defining encounter against Cohuna this Saturday.
The Tigers led from start to finish and extended their lead at every change, eventually running out comfortable 12.15 (87) to 6.6 (42) winners.
It was the first time Demaria coached against the Tigers since his departure at the end of last season, with both clubs desperate to make a statement as a result of the occasion.
In the end it was the Tigers who proved too strong however, with Woorinen coach Tim Free content with his teams four quarter performance.
“It was quite a high pressure game, they (Koondrook-Barham) were really well drilled, which we expected, but we we’re able to work our way through their pressure at different stages and give ourselves some scoreboard ascendancy,” Free said.
“It was certainly a high pressure game and both teams were genuinely having a crack.
“I think we’re just a little bit more efficient and probably our intercept game across half back was where the game was won and lost.
“Our half back line were really prolific and were able to intercept a lot of their forward entries and then rebound quite effectively with our run and carry and linking up through the midfield.
“That’s where I felt were able to get on top and a lot of our scoring started from half back, which is a little bit different to what we’re accustomed to, but it was what the what the game sort of demanded yesterday.”
Taylor Cameron was one of those key ball winners off half back for the Tigers, along with Mitch Uhlhorn, while Kane Reid was another key contributor after keeping dangerous forward Kye Attwell to just one goal for the match.
The other big highlight for the match was the debut of former Tyntynder prime mover Roy George for the Raiders.
Having pulled on the Bulldogs guernsey just seven days earlier for the rivalry game against Swan Hill, George will now spend the rest of the season plying his trade with Koondrook-Barham, with the enigmatic midfielder-forward putting on a show for the home crowd as only he can.
While George was a standout, he needed more support in order to affect the final result, with Lachlan Warburton quelling the influence of Raiders dangerman Benji Neal for much of the afternoon.
It was a dirty day for Neal, who finished the match on the side lines with a knee injury, while Jack Thrum (calf) also looks set for an extended period on the injury list.
Jacob Barrington was also named among the Raiders’ better players, with the ruckman having an enthralling battle with Woorinen’s Lachlan Gardner for much of the afternoon, with Isaac Corvo, Harry Bremner, Patrick Goble and Nathan O’Toole in the best.
While disappointed to miss out on the much-needed four points, Koondrook-Barham coach Marcus Demaria lamented his team’s inability to maintain possession of the ball, especially under the intense heat Woorinen placed them under at times.
“It was a good contest, but Woorinen were a lot cleaner, smarter and they carved us up on transition,” Demaria said.
“We lacked an avenue to goal and struggled to score, although I thought we pressured well and put some doubt in their game but we just couldn’t maintain it.
“They (Woorinen) also covered off well and caused us to cough it up consistently and our foot skills were terrible.”
Koondrook-Barham will host Balranald this Saturday in a must-win game, with the Raiders slipping to fifth on the ladder following NNW United’s win over Kerang.
SCORES
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final Score |
| Koondrook-Barham | 1.1 | 2.3 | 4.3 | 6.6 | 42 |
| Woorinen | 3.3 | 6.6 | 9.12 | 12.15 | 87 |
VOTES
3 – Taylor Cameron (Woorinen)
2 – Kane Reid (Woorinen)
1 – Roy George (Koondrook-Barham)
