MURRABIT have kept their dreams of an unlikely finals finish alive, thanks to a two-goal win away from home over fourth-placed Macorna in a windy clash.
The win, the Blues’ third for the year, put them within two wins of the top four and piles pressure on the Tigers.
Both sides started strongly, evenly splitting six goals between them before the end of the first quarter, but goals became harder to find after the opening term.
Murrabit coach Jack Shannahan said the day’s blustery conditions were close to the windiest he had taken the field in.
“I’ve played in some pretty cold and rainy games before, but in terms of the wind, that was right up there with the worst of them,” he said.
“It was hard enough just to get the ball to your boot, let alone hitting a target.
“Goals were like gold at the weekend. If you were able to scrape a goal or two somewhere, they were almost worth four or five goals.
“The game had plenty of out-on-the-fulls and a lot of stoppages, it was tough work for both teams out there.
“But that also made the win that bit sweeter as well. When you can grind out a win in tough conditions, it builds a bit of character in a team.”
Murrabit will be without improving defender Jacob Wade, who dislocated his shoulder.
After trading the lead for most of the game’s first half, Murrabit were unable to make their control on the game count on the scoreboard.
The Blues trailed by a single point at three-quarter-time, even though they had taken four more scoring shots than Macorna.
But Murrabit found their way in the second half, locking the ball in their forward-50 and keeping the pressure on Macorna’s back line.
The Blues got on top late, kicking two unanswered final quarter goals to win the game by 12 points.
Shannahan said the Blues’ win came off the back of his attacking players adapting to the conditions.
“We controlled the game pretty well throughout,” he said.
“In the second half especially, we started to take more care in our build-up through more short kicks and stopped stuffing around with the ball around half-forward.
“Our ability to run games out has been something I think we’ve shown a real improvement in over the last couple of weeks.
“Guys like Pras (Sayakhot) and Ben Gillingham weren’t going to let us come out of the match without having won the game.
“They were diving in on the footy, and their desperation fed through the entire group and inspired us to knuckle down and ensure we got the job done.”
Tigers players Lachlan Ritchie and William Canham were strong performers at either end of the ground, while Fergus Bear and Matthew Angel were impressive on the ball.
With finals still a slim chance for the Blues, Shannahan said his side would keep performing even if they get knocked from contention.
“We’re embracing the fact that we are still in with a chance,” he said.
“It keeps us on our toes, and the guys are still really keen to get to training and put in the work so that we can have a crack because who knows what can happen.
“Whether we make finals or not, whatever we do from here on in is still crucial to what we are building for next year and beyond.
Elsewhere, a slow start was too much for Wandella to claw back against Ultima, as the Roos defeated the Bombers by 37 points.
Matt Taverna was the Roos’ leading scorer with three goals, in a match where he was the only multiple goalkicker.
Wandella star and reigning EG Hunt Medallion winner Russell Rich is set to spend a stint on the sideline, after the midfielder was helped from the ground with a leg injury.
Ultima’s inaccuracy kept the Bombers in the hunt for the first three quarters, but the Roos were too good thanks to the likes of Lincoln Frost, Cameron Johnson and Mitchell Seton-Stewart.
Wandella’s Samuel Taylor impressed in his return to the senior team, as did the experienced Tim Robinson and young-gun Laing Waddingham.
Hay’s 12th win of the year came against last-placed Moulamein, with skipper Kenneth Jubb standing tallest with a bag of seven goals in the 114-point win.
Jack Headon pitched in with three goals of his own, while Jack Cattanach and Jock Crighton both kicked two in the absence of Declan Watson.
Hugh Crighton, Brad Pock, Jayden Kinces, Daniel Stewart and Nathan Wilson wrapped up the best players in the Hay side.
Moulamein’s best included William Gibson, Ely Miller, Kaylem Hartley, Morgan Turvey, Elijah Prentice and Cody Storm.
