Jeparit-Rainbow 14.12 (96) d Pimpinio 10.9 (69)
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JEPARIT-RAINBOW has broken its Horsham District Football Netball League duck with an historic win against Pimpinio.
The Storm produced a strong second half to overrun the Tigers at Pimpinio on Saturday and earn the club’s first ever win in its new league.
Jeparit-Rainbow is in its first season in the district league after crossing from the Mallee Football League during the summer.
Relief and joy were evident on the Storm players’ faces as the final siren sounded to seal the 27-point win.
Co-coach Mark Cocks said it was a win worth savouring.
‘‘It’s really good to get the monkey off the back,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s the first win in our new league and it’s really important for us.
‘‘Like I said to the boys out on the ground after the game, we waited until our last game of the season last year to get our first win, so it’s good to get on the board early here.’’
The undermanned Storm earned the victory by outlasting their opponents after a see-sawing first half.
Jeparit-Rainbow had the benefit of a strong wind towards the north-eastern end of the ground in the first quarter and capitalised early with two quick goals.
The first was a bomb from well outside 50 metres by Brodie Grant, which sailed through on the breeze.
After three Storm goals Pimpinio finally began to work the ball effectively into the wind, with Cam Ellis and Dylan Baker booting back-to-back majors.
The Tiger defence held up well with plenty of ball coming its way, as Aiden Lawson and Alex Hill did their best to repel Jeparit-Rainbow.
With the wind at its back in the second term, Pimpinio mounted a run of its own.
Brad Sproule, Bernard Ward and Daniel Baker hit the scoreboard, but at the other end Pimpinio had a big problem – literally.
Daniel ‘Monster’ McEldrew started living up to his name, outmarking the smaller Tiger defenders.
An Ellis goal after the half-time siren gave Pimpinio its first lead, but McEldrew continued to dominate after the main break.
He booted two of his team’s four goals in the third quarter, and Pimpinio was restricted to a single behind by a stingy defence led by Simon Clugston.
Jeparit-Rainbow also started to get on top in the midfield, with the likes of Grant and Luke Werner finding plenty of the ball.
Fittingly it was McEldrew who put the result beyond doubt in the last term, converting a simple set shot after a juggled mark in the goal square.
Pimpinio coach Mathew Everett, who was solid for the Tigers, said it was hard to counter McEldrew’s height.
‘‘His nickname is Monster and you can see why – he’s a big man and his skill level is pretty good for a bloke his size,’’ he said.
‘‘I thought we were really good for three quarters and in the last quarter I thought the game was there to be won, but we made some bad decisions going forward, turned the ball over and our accountability went out the window.
‘‘They got the overlap running a little bit and that was the end of the ball game.’’
Cocks said the Storm had plenty of scope to improve on its performance, with several players missing through injury and suspension, including key forward Peter Weir.