KERANG put an end to their five game losing streak taking down Swan Hill on a wet and wild Saturday afternoon at the Swan Hill Showgrounds.
The 10.10 (70) to 14.7 (91) score gives the Blues their fourth win and they will now hope to look for another victory before the 2025 season comes to an end.
Prior to the contest, Swan Hill had brought in Thomas Corridan and Anthony Lewin back into the side as they both missed their round 13 contest.
The Swans also brought in Mitch Hinton who made his debut with the senior side.
At the start of the contest, it was clear that with the conditions of the ground, it was going to be tough to hold onto the footy.
Kerang would lead the Swans at quarter time by 15 points; the footy was going down both ends, but the Swans couldn’t fully capitalise in front of goal.
That would soon change however, as they went out firing in the second quarter, using the conditions to their advantage and slotted in five goals from that quarter alone.
Swan Hill’s top goal scorer Kallen Heslop was having a sensational game, having already booted in a couple of goals into the match, and he looked like he was going to score more in the second half.
The Swans would end the quarter leading the Blues by four points.
Kerang would turn the momentum back into their favour in the third quarter, with Martin Kelly and Zak Bozanich leading the charge along with young gun Flynn McKnight.
The Blues would boot in six goals in the third quarter and led the Swans by 21 points with one more quarter to be played.
Both sides would kick an equal three goals and one behind in the final quarter to maintain Kerang’s 21 point difference.
Heslop finished up the contest as being the top goal scorer, kicking five goals in the loss.
Meanwhile, the Blues would have 10 different goal scorers that contributed in the win with Zak Bozanich being top goal scorer with three, while Flynn McKnight and Jordan McNeil both had two goals each.
Kerang’s head coach Paul Grayling spoke with The Guardian after the match on Saturday, and was rather pleased with the four points despite the conditions.
“Look it’s good to get the four points today,” Grayling said.
“It was a bit of a horrible day in terms of conditions but it’s good to get the win in the end.”
Grayling was happy to see how Martin Kelly played on the day, standing up and leading the side to a win.
“He was really good today, stood up when he needed to,” he said.
“He led the team very well, and overall very happy with the performance today.”
Kerang have been using a number of younger players this season, and Grayling says that the Blues are very blessed to have them come up to the side, along with giving praise to McKnight.
“Flynn has been superb all year and he plays like he has had over 150 appearances in the senior side, he is a really good kid,” he said.
Next week Kerang will be hosting Tooleybuc-Manangatang who are looking for a top five spot.
Grayling shared his thoughts for the upcoming contest, stating that they will be working on a few things while also recovering.
“We will hit the track, work on a few things and recover as well,” Grayling said.
“I think this is the first week where we didn’t send have to send anyone to a hospital!
“So we will consolidate and just keep on working hard on what we have been doing.”
SCORES
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final Score |
| Swan Hill | 0.5 | 5.8 | 7.9 | 10.10 | 70 |
| Kerang | 3.2 | 5.4 | 11.6 | 14.7 | 91 |
VOTES
3 – Zak Bozanich (Kerang)
2 – Kallen Heslop (Swan Hill)
1 – Martin Kelly (Kerang)
