NYAH-Nyah West United extended their winning streak to five with a hard-fought 41-point win over Tooleybuc-Manangatang on Saturday.
The 13.11 (89) to 6.12 (48) win saw the Demons close to within one win of the top three, with winnable games against Lake Boga and Swan Hill to come in the next fortnight.
While the final margin saw a comfortable win for the reigning premiers, it could have been a very different finish if not for the Saints’ inaccuracy in front of goal.
NNW United booted nine goals in the second half, with Tooleybuc-Manangatang kicking 1.7 after the main break and wasting any chance of securing an upset victory.
The third quarter proved to be the decisive one, with Tooleybuc-Manangatang kicking six consecutive points and turning a four-point half time lead into an 17-point deficit at the final change.
It was also the first time new recruit Patrick Veszpremi pulled on the red and blue, with the former Western Bulldogs and Sydney Swans forward giving the Demons faithful plenty to cheer about after kicking a game high six goals.
It was a performance which send shudders across the Central Murray competition, with the Demons lacking another goalkicking option since the departure of Brandyn Grenfell after last year’s premiership win, with NNW United co-coach Corey Daniels pleased with what he saw after the match.
“He (Veszpremi) was good, he was lively up forward and it was a really pleasing game from him first up,” Daniels said.
“He brought us into the game and hit the scoreboard himself, which is what he was there to do.
“He adds to our forward half and is another really good forward that the opposition have to try and nullify.
“He’s going to hit the scoreboard and he brings others into the game.
“It’s very pleasing to have him out there and he played really well first up kicking six, but especially in the first half because he sort of kept us in the game.”
The first half was a tight affair with the Saints throwing everything at the reigning premiers.
Tooleybuc-Manangatang’s midfield controlled the stoppages through the agency of ruckman Connor Mcdonald, with Sebastian Rogers, Blake Grant and Elliot Chalmers the main beneficiaries.
NNW United wouldn’t be outworked however, with Ethan Saville also finding plenty of the ball around the contest, along with Riley Daniels, with the pair working tirelessly to help turn the game to the Demons’ advantage in the second half.
It was the reigning premiers ability to get the ball on the outside in the second half that ultimately proved to be the difference, with Dom Gallo impacting the match after the main break.
“It was a good game of footy, I thought their (Tooleybuc-Manangatang’s) pressure early was really good,” Daniels said.
“They were up for the contest and they were very good from stoppage.
“The game moved back and forth there in the first half and then we were able to find open lanes and get the ball on outside and get some speed on the game after that and find some avenues to goal in the second half again, which was good.
“They were really good around the contest and were really good at the stoppage and that was where we sort of thought they might be able to get on top of us, so it was really good for our mids to be able to nullify that and when it turned into a transition game, we felt like we had it played on our terms.”
Alex Birch was another of the Demons’ better players, with the key forward playing across half forward and providing a link between NNW United’s midfield and forward line, while Joel Walsh and Joel Campbell were also solid contributors behind the footy.
Along with Mcdonald and Rogers, Josh Williams was solid across half back to be one of Tooleybuc-Manangatang’s better players, along with Lochlan Prentice, Julian Muir and small forward Ethan Johnstone.
The only negative on an otherwise successful day for the Demons was a game ending groin injury to Nick O’Neill, who is now likely to be missing until after the league wide bye in July.
SCORES
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final Score |
| Tooleybuc-Manangatang | 3.2 | 5.5 | 5.11 | 6.12 | 48 |
| Nyah-Nyah West United | 1.2 | 4.7 | 8.10 | 13.11 | 89 |
VOTES
3 – Ethan Saville (NNW United)
2 – Riley Daniels (NNW United)
1 – Connor McDonald (Tooleybuc-Manangatang)
