NORTH BALLARAT 15.9 (93)

ONE per centers ensured North Ballarat Roosters really took this game on.

Deep in play, it was little slip-ups that ultimately cost the Roosters this Victorian Football League game by nine points.

The Selkirk Roosters let this game go out of their own grasp at Simonds Stadium on Saturday and were left only to rue what could have been after all their early tenacious and exciting hard work.

Their inefficient bid to clear the ball from the backlines and a couple of faltering unforced errors were enough to give the Cats’ a sniff. Cat Sam Blease’s set shot sailed through to snatch the lead, 27 minutes into the final quarter. 

A tenacious Cats smother on the wing moments later set up their clutch-shot match winner via Tom Atkins – and the Cats faithful were chanting loud.

Just like that, the game was gone.

This was an improved Roosters' game - in style and attitude - in what has been a rocky on-field period the past month.

They hit Geelong hard from the outset to hold a 15-point lead, with five goals on the board, by quarter-time.

They kept solid when the Cats started to gather momentum through the second quarter and, in  roller-coaster third quarter, it was the Roosters who nailed the most important shot on goal. Roosters captain Matt Austin booted a major to go into the final break.

Roosters coach Gerard FitzGerald was quick to gather players in a huddle and remind them the value of such a goal - the Roosters had missed a similar chance a week earlier - and his players responded with two goals in the first five minutes of the final term.

They were strong, they were confident, they were serving up great run-and-carry. 

But old habits crept in.

The Roosters have one more chance before a mid-season bye to earn reward from turning their game around. They host Casey at Eureka Stadium next Saturday.

GEELONG 2.5  6.6  11.8  15.12 (102)

NORTH BALLARAT   5.2  7.6  12.8  14.9 (93)

GOALS – Geelong Cats: Close 3 Maas 2 Rees  Lucey  Paliouras  Raidme  Cockatoo  Luxford  McFarlane  Blease  Sheringham  Gibbs. 

North Ballarat: Hooper 3 Black 2 Tsitas  George  Kiel  Hoy  Mullett  McKenzie  Keeble  Garner  Austin.

BEST – Geelong: Lucey Jansen Close Burchell McFarlane Tudor.

North Ballarat: Sewell Kiel Hoy Lockyer George Rippon.