TOOLEYBUC-Manangatang have kept their finals hopes alive with a hard-fought 17-point win over a determined Lake Boga on Saturday afternoon.
With the loser being eliminated from finals calculations, it was the Saints who reigned supreme in the difficult conditions to eventually run out 14.8 (92) to 11.9 (75) winners.
Although the Tooleybuc-Manangatang won the match, Lake Boga lost few admirers, with the young and developing Magpies continuing to show they are on the right path after refusing to yield and pushing the home side all the way until the final siren according to Saints coach Brad Morris.
“The game ebbed and flowed a bit, we’d slowly get the momentum in our favour and look like we were about to take the game away from them (Lake Boga) and then they’d kick one and just pull us back,” Morris said post-match.
“That was the trend of the whole day really, even going into the last quarter we had the momentum and we thought, we’ve got it here, but they just kept coming at us all day and their pressure around the footy was really good.
“It was just a day where the ball just went up and down and you couldn’t really get that ascendancy to control the game down and get it done.”
It was a sentiment that was echoed by Lake Boga coach Dean Helmers after the match, who was pleased with his young teams four quarter display.
“I think they (Tooleybuc-Manangatang) had the mindset that it was just going to be a matter of time before they took over and put us away, but it was neck a neck all day in general play,” Helmers said.
“At half time I felt we had improved enough that we could take over, but we just couldn’t get going in the third quarter.
“Zac Warne was on one leg in the second quarter and we didn’t really have any back up mids, so we had to really throw things around which unsettled us a bit, but to the boys credit they just kept coming.
“The feeling around the club is at an all time high considering we have stuck with the kids and we’re not spending to catch up, but the improvement in those kids is massive.
“We are a long way off the top sides, but I think we are one of the most improved sides out there as well.”
The loss of Warne with hamstring tendonitis hurt the Magpies, with their key onballer not returning after the main break.
Braden Padmore continued his good form for the visitors despite Jesse Wilson and Kallum Hazlett deployed to tag the midfielder, but he was overshadowed by the efforts of Saints ruckman Connor Mcdonald, who dominated around the stoppages and won clearance after clearance.
Elliott Chalmers was also influential around the contest, but it was the performance of forwards Josh Koster, Ethan Johnstone and Connor Nutting, who finished with four goals each, that most impressed Morris.
“Our connection forward with regard to just getting the ball in a bit deeper and using our small forwards was probably the difference I felt,” Morris said.
“Josh, Ethan and ‘Nuts’ (Connor Nutting) all kicked four and I guess having that ability with a key forward like ‘Nuts’ who is as good as anyone when it’s on the deck was really important.
“We probably played the way we’ve been trying to play in that we wanted to be composed and not waste our opportunities going forward, but that probably hurt us a little bit.
“When we went direct and to the hot spot and we had those smalls there with ‘Nuts’ at ground level we capitalised, but we just didn’t do it often enough.”
While Padmore was a clear standout for Lake Boga, the Magpies were also well served by defenders Marty Parsons and Andrew McDonald, with Dylan McCosh, Rex Hickman and Hunter Hartland also among their better players.
Tooleybuc-Manangatang will face Kerang this weekend in yet another must-win match for the Saints, while Lake Boga will enjoy the week off before taking on Koondrook-Barham in round 16.
SCORES
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final Score |
| Tooleybuc-Manangatang | 4.0 | 8.3 | 12.5 | 14.8 | 92 |
| Lake Boga | 4.3 | 6.5 | 9.6 | 11.9 | 75 |
VOTES
3 – Connor Mcdonald (Tooleybuc-Manangatang)
2 – Josh Koster (Tooleybuc-Manangatang)
1 – Braden Padmore (Lake Boga)
