WHEN the rain dried up, so, too, did North Ballarat Roosters’ scoring. Werribee snatched victory from their grasp by nine points in the Victorian Football League at Chirnside Park on Saturday.
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The Selkirk Roosters had been playing well – kicking well, scoring well, effort was strong – and even after chalking up just one goal in the third quarter, the 13-point lead they held seemed a great starting point to win on a ground they rarely leave as victors.
Roosters coach Gerard FitzGerald said the finish was “quite perplexing”.
“I told the boys after the game that opportunity had slipped through their fingers. That was a game we could have won,” he said.
“(Werribee) persisted.
“Our defence, I thought was really good ... the first three quarters I thought we supported our backline boys really well, but they can’t keep resisting that much pressure, not with that much supply coming in from Werribee.”
The Roosters led from the outset, booting two good majors to open play.
But they never quite got a clear enough buffer.
Sometimes, the Roosters pushed the margin out to two or three goals.
The Tigers unfailingly always got that next goal to keep the Roosters in check.
Andrew Boseley, Luke Kiel and Tony Lockyer relentlessly patrolled and repelled from the backlines.
The Roosters had their chances to push ahead early in the third quarter, when heavy rain had eased to dampness, but their work rate and efficiency up forward became inconsistent.
Once the Tigers got a sniff of an upset, they stepped up their tenacity and capitalised where the Roosters did not – on the scoreboard – kicking 4.4 to 0.1 in the final term.
The Tigers had 86 possessions and went inside their forward 50 metres 19 times to the Roosters’ seven entries from 87 possessions in the last quarter.
First-year North Melbourne recruit Sam Durdin had nullified the Tigers’ powerful forward Majak Daw.
But Daw created his trademark magic moment when it really counted. He kicked a pivotal goal, 26 minutes into the final term, that had the Tigers roaring and nine points up.
Rooster Brad McKenzie attempted a reply but scored a behind, and the ball was worked back deep into the Tigers’ forward line, where Dylan Reid polished off the win with a goal from a nice set shot.
This was the last time the Tigers and Selkirk Roosters were to meet in a home-and-away contest under a shared alignment with AFL club North Melbourne.
The Roosters now prepare to battle traditional heavyweight Williamstown at Eureka Stadium on Saturday – and the Seagulls always arrive with a big, squawking flock of fans.
POSSESSIONS
- Werribee 339
- North Ballarat 296
MYLES SEWELL 31
- 16 kicks, 15 handballs
NICK RIPPON 28
- 17 kicks, 11 handballs
LACHIE GEORGE 23
- 12 kicks, 11 handballS
JAMES TSITAS 21
- 17 kicks, 4 handballs
TONY LOCKYER 18
- 12 kicks, 6 handballs
MARKS
- Werribee 41
- North Ballarat 46 (Boseley 6)
MARKS INSIDE-50M
- Werribee 4
- North Ballarat 7
TACKLES
- Werribee 107
- North Ballarat 94 (George 9, Sewell 9)
HIT-OUTS
- Werribee 84 (Currie 52, Daw 21)
- North Ballarat 72 (Stephenson 35, Preuss 30)
CLEARANCES
- Werribee 71
- North Ballarat 58 (Rippon 12)
HANDBALLS
- Werribee 124
- North Ballarat 98
TOP PICK ONE
While there was an interesting battle of the big men in the ruck early - Rooster new tall Braydon Preuss forming a tap tandem with Orren Stephenson against Tiger Daniel Currie - this was ultimately a day for tough onballers and mids, who consistently grit it out: MYLES SEWELL (31 disposals, 25 contested possessions), NICK RIPPON (28 and 18 contested), LACHIE GEORGE (23 and 17).
TOP PICK TWO
High-profile Tiger Majak Daw spent a little time in the ruck but was predominantly at full forward where Rooster SAM DURDIN shut him down.
Tiger fans love the power of the North Melbourne-listed Daw but it was not until late in the final quarter that Daw booted a goal. And he did so under pressure. Durdin also made seven spoils and had nine one-percenters.
TOP PICK THREE
The Roosters' backlines were terrific but this top pick goes to tall ANDREW BOSELEY. He knew he would have to shoulder extra responsibility and leadership in holding the lines together when Bryce Curnow was sidelined from a training injury mid-week. Boseley answered the challenge well and helped set the tone. Statistically, he had four tackles, 10 spoils and 15 one-percenters.
melanie.whelan@fairfaxmedia.com.au
