Round 7 saw us play host to St Bedes at home on a perfect day for football.
After a disappointing loss last week we were looking to bounce back and
return to the winners list. Six changes to our side gave us a chance to
reward a bunch of players who had shown strong form in the reserves over the
last month.
The first half was a tough contested battle. Plenty of stoppages and both
teams applying great pressure resulted in a lot of scrappy play between the
arcs. We were able to get on top around stoppage and generate enough chances
forward of centre, however our polish really let us down in front of goal.
Luckily St Bedes too were inaccurate which made for a low scoring affair. We
took a 4.7 to 1.6 lead into the main break.
The players at halftime were challenged to embrace the grind, embrace the
contest and just chip away. We were able to generate a bit more fluid ball
movement in the third quarter which resulted in us kicking 3 goals in the
quarter. What was most pleasing though was our ruthlessness in defence and a
great urgency to protect our back half, which resulted in us keeping the
opposition goalless for the quarter.
Our final quarter was workman like. Again St Bedes pressure and physicality
was strong and they had a 10 minute patch where they were on top, but we
took control around the ball and were able to get the game on our terms for
the remainder of the quarter. In the end we came away with a hard fought 7
goal win. It may not have been the most visually appealing game with many
highlights, but we were pleased with the way we were able to find a way to
get the job done.
It was a really mature performance. The playing group really embraced the
grind of the game and we were tough and committed for 4 quarters. A
fantastic result and very pleasing to bounce back from last weeks
disappointment.
We look forward to a week off next Saturday, before preparing for another
huge challenge when we face off against Fitzroy at Fitzroy.
