Sport
24 June, 2023
Roos fall short in thriller
DIMBOOLA has maintained its habit of producing thrilling finishes with another close contest in round nine of Wimmera Football League on Saturday. The Roos fell short by five points against undefeated ladder leader Ararat at Alexandra Oval, the...
DIMBOOLA has maintained its habit of producing thrilling finishes with another close contest in round nine of Wimmera Football League on Saturday.
The Roos fell short by five points against undefeated ladder leader Ararat at Alexandra Oval, the final result only being determined in the last two minutes of the contest.
A goal to Ararat forward Jack Ganley in the second last minute of the contest saw the Rats take the lead by five points before time ran out on a final Dimboola challenge.
The match lived up to all expectations of two sides that will play a major role in finals later in the season with nothing separating the sides for the entire match.
The biggest lead of the match was a 10-point buffer that the home team built up in the third quarter as both sides ran themselves ragged in windy conditions that made scoring difficult in the tricky conditions.
A low scoring opening was delayed when Ararat forward Jordan Cox left the ground on a stretcher in what appeared a serious leg injury as two goals were scored for the term as the Roos kicked to the favoured end.
Michael Graham returned to the Roos from injury and kicked the first goal of the match which took 18 minutes as both sides settled into the contest, wary of each others ability to break the game open.
A goal to Tom Williamson for Ararat into the breeze saw the Roos take a slender two point lead into quarter time before the Rats kicked successive goals in the second quarter to open up an eight-point lead.
Roos coach Jack Landt looked to answer with a set shot on goal but the wind took the ball off course for a minor score before another forward foray saw the ball finish with Tom O’Dwyer who goaled from the goal line to cut the Rats lead to three points at half time.
Kicking to the non favoured end, the Roos were quickly on the board when Jono Ross snapped truly in the first 90 seconds of third term to give the Roos a three point lead before Tom Mills provided a quick answer when he goaled from close range as the Rats ran the ball into the breeze.
Matt Rosier then gave the Roos the lead again with a goal on the run after a clever handball from Graham but the Rats then kicked successive goals to take back the lead when Robert Armstrong goaled after a strong mark before Ganley snapped truly for the home team’s sixth goal of the day.
The Roos again answered the home team’s challenge when Will Barber finished off a Sam Godden pass to cut the lead to three points before the Rats again answered with another goal to Mills from close range and extend the lead to nine points.
A final shot on goal to Ararat’s Sonny Kettle just missed the mark on the stroke of three quarter time as the Rats headed into the final stanza with a 10-point lead.
The final term was testament to the closeness of the match as both sides were desperate with the ball swinging from one forward zone to the other with just three goals scored as Ross snapped his second goal of the match to cut the margin to four points.
A missed set shot to Jacob Bates extended the lead to five points before Landt goaled on the run to give his team the lead for the first time since the opening quarter.
The goal put the Roos in front by one point which was the margin until the final 90 seconds as both teams battled tired legs and battered bodies before Ganley’s heroics brought down the curtain on a classic contest fitting of two finals rivals.
The loss saw the Roos slip to fourth place on the ladder as the competition reached the halfway point of the season.
For the Roos, Aisea Raikiwasa continued his good form with another strong running game off half back, while Dylan Landt made a strong return to the team and combined well with Matt Rosier and Sam Godden, while Jono Ross and Hayden Walters provided strong options in attack and around the ground.