Football
29 July, 2024
Eagles soar to brilliant win
Nearly 12 months to the day of their last win, a two-point victory over the Southern Mallee Giants, the Warrack Eagles finally had something to celebrate, soaring to a brilliant 22-point win over Dimboola at Anzac Park in round 14 of the Wimmera Football Netball League.
Dimboola kicked with the breeze in the first quarter, and the Eagles brought it to them, with Dimboola only kicking goals late in the quarter to take a 10-point lead into quarter-time.
The Eagles came out firing in the second with the breeze, kicking four goals to one to lead by nine points at half-time.
With consistency being an issue for the Eagles all year, the Roos knew they weren't out of the game. They came out firing in the third quarter but couldn't capitalise on the scoreboard, with the Eagles maintaining a ten-point lead at the last break.
The Roos will rue their missed opportunities in goal, kicking one goal five behinds in the quarter.
The Eagles held their nerve in the early part of the last quarter, gaining a five-goal lead. Dimboola charged late, but the Eagles held on to win 11.9.75 to 7.11.53.
Kyle Cheney, Riley Morrow, and Ryan McKenzie each kicked two goals for the Eagles, who also had Matthew Penny, Lachie Stewart, Jayke Hellmanns, and Declan Powell among their best players.
Jackson Calder and Jack Landt kicked two goals for the Roos, with Ben Miller, Declan Paech, Ashley Clugston, Michael Pohlner, and Darcy Dubois among their best.
Adelaide recruit Jayke Hellmans, one of five travelers from Adelaide each week, said it was a rewarding feeling. When asked if he knew the words, he simply answered: 'Yes.'
"It's definitely rewarding, it's something else, and it's good to see how well the club gets around it," Hellmanns said.
Eagles captain Kyle Cheney said it was an unbelievable feeling, especially with sponsors at the ground.
"There's been so much work that has gone into the club, and it's good that we get some on-field success, but it's even better that it came on the day we had all our sponsors here on the truck, and the amount of work they do behind the scenes is good for the players and also the supporters," Cheney said.
"To pat them on the back with this win is a great feeling."
For Eagles coach Matt Walder, it has been a long road, having last heard the song 20 years ago when he had his previous coaching stint at the club.
"I have waited 20 years to sing the song again, and I didn't want to wait another 20 minutes, so I was quite happy to sing it with the boys," Walder said.
To look back over the weeks and months we have put in a lot of time and effort to see that come to fruition in front of our supporters and sponsors is rewarding."
Walder said the match was about desperation, especially in the third quarter.
"Our best quarter of footy was definitely the third quarter," Walder said.
"We were able to suppress them, counter-punch, and take the wind out of their sails. It was one of the grittiest quarters of footy we played, and it set us up to come home in the breeze."
"It was more about desperation. We had to be more desperate and manic about how we went about it. We aren't the cleanest or most skillful team, but we had to show grittiness, and we hit our benchmarks for each quarter, such as our clearance rates, tackle rates, contested wins, and opposition uncontested marks."
"We haven't led at three-quarter time all year, but we have come close at times, but we weren't good enough. We still aren't that team, as Dimboola kept coming at us and controlled the play in the last eight minutes, but we were able to battle to the bitter end, and we are still building. The signs are great."
What is even more impressive for the club is that four to five players were doubtful to play due to injuries, but they were able to get out on the field on Saturday.
"It was mental instead of physical, and for them to overcome that mental side of things, to go out there and play their role, was a great effort," Walder concluded.