Football
19 May, 2026
Stawell shake off sluggish start
It took Stawell a bit longer to settle into the conditions on Saturday in their clash against Nhill, but eventually they were able to get the four points.
Warriors co-coach James Sullivan said his side didn't begin the game well at Central Park and were down 1.1 (7) to 4.1 (25) at the end of the first quarter.
"We were probably playing a bit negatively at the start, given the conditions, which they certainly handled a lot better than we did early on," Sullivan admitted frankly.
By half-time, Sullivan and joint coach Perry Meka's side were back in the game, down by just a couple of points, 6.3 (39) to 6.5 (41).
However, Nhill had a good quarter after the big break and extended that lead to five points heading into the final term.
"We know that they are a quality side and it was going to take a good four-quarter effort," Sullivan said.
"In saying that, we certainly weren't happy with some aspects of our game in the first and third quarters.".
Sullivan said his side fixed a few things and, to their credit, in the last quarter they were able to execute their plans and get the game on their terms.
"We really got on top through the midfield and gave our forwards some better looks," he said.
Final scores were the home side 12.9 (81) to the Tigers 9.11 (65).
Best on ground for the losing side included Liam Albrecht, Lucas Dahlenburg and Matt Kennedy, while the winners were best led by Sunny Brazier, Josh Fowkes and Zachary Marrow.
In front of the big sticks, Jake McQueen and Mitchell Dahlenburg were in form for Nhill, booting three and two majors, respectively.
Paul Summers was the go-to for Stawell, finishing the match with four goals, while Cody Driscoll had three.
Sullivan was full of praise for the men in the middle for Stawell.
"The boys through the middle, Sunny (Brazier), Josh (Fowkes), Tom (Eckel) and then Zac (Marrow) and Jesse (Galea-Portelli) down back, were solid all day," he said.
"I thought our back six helped up really well again so it will be good to continue to build off that into next week."