TOOLEYBUC-MANANGATANG’S finals hopes are well and truly alive after recording their biggest win of the season against Swan Hill.
The 4.6 (30) to 26.13 (169) score boosts the Saints percentage by a big margin and they now have overtaken Koondrook-Barham for fifth place.
It was a brilliant day for some footy action, the sun was beaming down on the Swan Hill Recreation Reserve and both sides went off firing early on in the contest.
Tooleybuc-Manangatang were well in control for the majority of the first quarter, having the footy down their forward 50 throughout the contest.
But Swan Hill were right with them as well, even though they might not have had as many forward entries, they still capitalised on every chance when it was given, and it was a 15 point game by the end of the first quarter.
The Saints would go on a rampage in the second quarter, kicking five unanswered goals thanks to backliner Josh Williams who returned to the side after missing the past three weeks, along with Ethan Johnstone and Connor Nutting playing a big part too.
The third quarter would be a replica of the second quarter, complete domination from Tooleybuc-Manangatang.
They kicked six goals in the third term while only allowing Swan Hill to kick their one and only goal of the second half, booted by Paddy Hufer, which gave him his first goal with the senior side.
The Saints would finish the quarter leading the Swans by a substantial 76 points.
The rampage would not end there, if anything they saved their best performance till last, booting in ten goals in the final quarter.
Swan Hill’s defenders could not do anything to prevent Nutting or Johnstone from getting the footy as they kicked seven and eight goals respectively.
The final siren would finally sound, and the demolition job was completed, with Tooleybuc-Manangatang winning by a monumental 139 points.
That win could not have come at a better time for the Saints, it seriously boosted their percentage and now they have the momentum on their side when they go on the road to face sixth placed side, the River Raiders next week, which will most likely determine who will play finals this season.
“We took a little while to get going, we have to look forward to next week with the obvious importance of making finals, and we knew we had to win today by a big margin,” said Tooleybuc-Manangatang’s head coach Brad Morris.
“I thought the opposition really took it up on us during the first half, it was a scrappy game, and they prevented us from doing our run, carry and cleanliness of the footy.
“But after half-time, the boys really got their knees going and played some really good systemised footy.”
There was plenty of high remarks from Morris on how Josh Williams played after missing the past three weeks, along with plenty of extra praises for his leading goal scorer of Connor Nutting.
“Josh had played back line all year, and has played fantastic there, but we moved him towards because we need to boost our percentage,” Morris said.
“A guy like him, with his capabilities, he was able to make some real damage on the scoreboard.
“As for Connor, it’s great to have a big vocal point up forward, great to see his commitment in the contest both in the air and on the ground to get the footy back in our favour.
“The pressure is on all the time, so he is a tough match-up for anyone that plays on him.”
There is a saying in footy, about how the best offence is the best defence, and when Morris was asked on whether that applied on the Saints on Saturday, he agreed that was the case.
“Definitely with those repeated entries and the boys understanding that we needed to apply that scoreboard pressure,” Morris said.
“When Swan Hill tried to get the ball out of their defensive fifty, our boys managed to attack the contest and regain the footy.
“We really turned the footy back in our favour on the scoreboard.”
With next week’s contest being on the road at Koondrook-Barham, Morris confirmed that there won’t be any changes on the lineup.
“We are going to go back on our set-up and understand the importance of a good start for us,” Morris said.
“It’s an area that we have sort of struggled with this season, once we go up against a good opposition and understand the importance of the win, I think we will be able to fire up and will be right for the day.”
SCORES
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final Score |
| Swan Hill | 3.1 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 30 |
| Tooleybuc-Manangatang | 5.4 | 10.5 | 16.9 | 26.13 | 169 |
VOTES
3 – Connor Nutting (Tooleybuc-Manangatang)
2 – Ethan Johnstone (Tooleybuc-Manangatang)
1 – Josh Williams (Tooleybuc-Manangatang)
