Sport
26 May, 2026
Burras go down to Warriors
In a battle not indicative of their ladder standings, Minyip Murtoa were defeated by Stawell on Saturday, 7.12 (54) to 10.8 (68).
In a battle not indicative of their ladder standings, Minyip Murtoa were defeated by Stawell on Saturday, 7.12 (54) to 10.8 (68).
There's no denying the Burras have been competitive this year, losing a couple of games by just a few points, but they are still looking for their first win.
The season for the Warriors has been a lot smoother, with the side currently 5-1.
But you wouldn't have guessed it was a battle between the now second- and eighth-placed sides on Saturday, with the Luke Fisher-led side defeated by just 14 points.
The Burras had a slow start, adding just a point to their score in the opening quarter, while Stawell, who had been looking for a better first term, had 5.1 on the board.
The margin was back to 21 points by half-time, 4.5 (29) to 8.2 (50), and out to 23 points heading into the final quarter, 5.8 (38) to 9.7 (61).
The Burras outscored the Warriors in the final quarter, 2.4 to 1.1, but the eventual winners had done enough early on to earn the win.
Stawell co-coach James Sullivan said football was hard to play now and a side had to take their wins.
"Being on the road, coming up against Minyip Murtoa, who have had consistent footy leading in, we were happy in the end to get the result and the win," Sullivan said.
The co-coach said one of the aspects most pleasing was the side's beginning to the game.
"We probably hadn't started any game well since the first round," he said.
"All week we had a big focus on a few things and I was happy with how the boys came out.
"I think we were 5.1 at quarter-time and there was a bit of the breeze so we wanted to make sure we used that."
Admitting that from half-time, the game was a bit scrappy, Sullivan said the Burras made the most of the breeze while his side deviated from the footy style they were looking to play.
"Credit to them, though, they did stop our ball movement," Sullivan said.
Better players for Minyip Murtoa were Brayden Pitcher, Phil Costa and Samuel Griffiths, while Jack Harney, Thomas Eckel and Zachary Marrow were impressive for Stawell.
Goal kickers included Samuel Griffiths (three) for the Burras and Cody Driscoll (three) for the Warriors.
Sullivan acknowledged the efforts of Harney, who he said was one of a few youngsters to stand up for the side.
"Out on the wing he held his wits and we have been doing a lot of work with him," he said.
"He was super and got a bit of the footy.
"Zac Marrow down back, he was a bit of a wall and played well for us, especially with a few of the good entries they were getting.
"And Tom Eckle in the middle, he was our best player all day.
"He got a bit of the footy and was in the right spots at the right time."