Donald v Boort
THE Royal Blues ensured things remained tight in the top half of the North Central Football League ladder by defeating Boort on Saturday.
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The 12.12 (84) to 9.10 (64) win meant Donald joined three other teams on five wins after round eight of the season.
Coach Tom Bell said it was his side’s most consistent performance of the season.
“Everyone played their roles and that meant there was no real standouts,” he said. “If you can play like we did on Saturday on a regular basis, then we can compete with everybody.”
Donald controlled the game without dominating on the scoreboard.
The side led by a goal after the first quarter before Boort kicked into the lead to start the second quarter.
The Royal Blues worked their way back in front halfway through the quarter and did not look back for the rest of the game.
“I don’t think the scoreboard really reflects how much I thought we controlled the game,” Bell said.
“Our use of the football and the willingness to run in order to link up with handballs was the most impressive part of the win.”
Bell said his whole midfield group stood up on the day but singled out Nathan Witherow, Jordan Bath and Anthony Raso as having played key roles.
“Those guys worked hard all day,” he said.
With injuries still hampering some of the club’s best side, it was another opportunity for young players to debut.
Rory O’Shannessy and Jordan Murray both stepped up for the side.
St Arnaud v Sea Lake-Nandaly
ST ARNAUD continue to linger at the bottom of the senior ladder after another loss in round eight.
The side was with the more-fancied Sea Lake-Nandaly Tigers for the opening quarter but was ultimately overrun 21.14 (140) to 11.9 (75).
With just one point separating the sides at quarter-time, the young Saints would have harboured hopes of an upset win. The Tigers stepped up the intensity in the second quarter to open up a 44-point margin by half-time. It was more of the same in the third quarter. The Saints trailed by 61-points before putting in a better performance in the last quarter.
Jordan Doering was unstoppable for the Tigers on his way to kicking 11 goals. Nic Coghlan managed three at the other end of the ground while Dan London and Caleb Bloomer were named St Arnaud’s best players.
