Sport
2 June, 2026
Ararat close in on ladder leaders
Ararat are hot on the tail of the ladder leaders after a narrow win over Nhill on Saturday.
The red-and-white are in fourth, on 16 points, behind the Horsham Saints, the Thunder and Stawell, all of whom are on 20 points with only percentage separating them.
But Ararat didn't have it all their way on Saturday, and after leading at the end of the first quarter, 4.2 (26) to 3.3 (21), they were down at both the big break, 4.5 (29) to 4.7 (31), and heading into the final quarter, 6.8 (44) to 7.9 (51).
But Ararat came home strongly, booting 3.7 to the opposition's 2.0 to seal the 9.15 (69) to 9.9 (63) win.
Hugh Toner, Luke Spalding and Matthew Spalding all found the big sticks for the winners with a couple of goals each, while Baydn Cosgriff and Ethan Summers were judged best on ground for their side.
For Nhill, the only multiple goal scorers were Jake McQueen (three) and Xavier Bone (two), with McQueen earning himself best on ground honours alongside Matt Kennedy.
Ararat's director of football, Corey Taylor, said considering they were a couple of rotations down, it was a gutsy win by his team.
With his side down heading into the final quarter, Taylor said the coach asked for an effort that was spirited, and it was delivered by the side.
"Our mids started to win centre clearance and we were able to lock the ball in our half, which gave us multiple looks at goal," he said.
Taylor also gave credit to their best players for the match.
"Baydn went into the ruck for us midway through the game and changed the match for us," he said.
"Ethan took some really good overhead marks and was a strong presence across the ground."
All sides will enjoy a break this weekend, and Taylor said Ararat would look to recover and reset over the next week to be ready to face Minyip Murtoa when the season resumes.