Edenhope-Apsley dusted off the cobwebs from a two-week break to secure a strong victory against Laharum and enter the top four.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Saints showed the effects of a lack of match action, going down in the first quarter, but recovered to claim a 14.12 (96) to 4.10 (34) win.
"Laharum came out with a bit of purpose, and I think after a two-week break we were a little bit rusty. But in the second half our polish came good," Edenhope-Apsley coach Chris Oliver said.
"We expected having a two-week break that we were going to be a bit scratchy early and we were. But we came good, which I was happy about."
The Saints kicked nine goals in the second half, in a performance that improved that as the game progressed.
George Walker was the leading goal-kicker with four, but Oliver said there was still room for improvement at the attacking end.
"Our forward line structure and our feeding into the forwards wasn't great, but Laharum did stack their backline pretty well and did choke us up. But, that definitely got better," he said.
Oliver said it was good to secure a win heading into testing fixtures against Swifts and Jeparit-Rainbow.
"It's good to find some form. We've got a pretty solid month coming up against final contenders, so I'm looking forward to seeing where we're at in the competition," he said.
"I'm confident after the weekend that we're heading in the right direction.
"We've just got to make sure that our teamwork and our skills stay sharp. We just need to stay on the track and keep working on those things, and things should take care of themselves hopefully."
At North Park, Swifts came away 27-point winners against Rupanyup.
Making the most of the Panthers inaccuracy around the goals, the Baggies applied scoreboard pressure when the opportunity presented itself.
At quarter-time Swifts went in with a six-point lead, despite having half the amount of scoring shots.
"We were able to work back into the game and take control and make the most of the opportunities," Swifts co-coach Scott Carey said.
"There was scoring end of the day with the wind making it hard to push the ball up one end. Rupanyup really lifted their pressure in the third quarter, and we weren't able to control the game like we would have wanted."
Swifts' full forward Ben Martin played in his first game back after injury and was rewarded with four goals for his efforts.
"He is a big target for us up forward and one of the smarter footballers I've played with," Carey said.
"It was a massive inclusion for us and gave us back that bit of depth as well."
In other games, Kalkee built on a one-point lead at half-time to claim a 19-point win against Natimuk United.
League leaders Harrow-Balmoral maintained their perfect record so far this season with a 64-39 win against Jeparit-Rainbow.
Noradjuha-Quantong, meanwhile, kicked seven goals in the final quarter to round off a dominant 123-31 win against Taylors Lake.
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox twice weekly from the Wimmera Mail-Times. To make sure you're up-to-date with all the news from across the Wimmera, sign up below.
