When the determined Lions kicked intensity up a notch, North Ballarat City faded rather than match them on Saturday. Redan claimed a 27-point win. City’s 11-game winning streak was broken.

This had been one of the most anticipated showdowns looming for awhile in Ballarat Football League seniors, two juggernauts to collide and one to emerge flag favourite.

Play was not pretty, free flowing football in heavy conditions at City Oval but these two top teams showed their class in fiercely contested and ruthlessly defensive football. For three quarters, there looked to be little splitting these heavyweights.

Lions Nathan Willox took a good grab and booted a telling goal, deep in time-on in the third quarter, and his teammates seized on the momentum.

Redan coach Eammon Gill said this win was no more important than any other contest his Lions had entered this season, regardless of external pre-match hype.

“It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, we always want to win. In the contest of the year, we’ve come away with the four points here and are closing in on top spot,” Gill said. “The pleasing thing is that we were able to wrestle momentum away from them in the third quarter. Both sides were having a red hot go and when they did change things, we could get momentum back.”

City made a move midway through the third quarter but City coach Rob Waters said allowing the Lions to boot three goals into the breeze that term proved costly – and the drop in intensity. The Lions soundly beat City 10 to one in contested possession in the final quarter.

Lion Nathan Horbury was the clear stand-out, pulling off some impressive plays, but the Lions’ even spread of goal-kickers and contributors is their selling point. 

City’s Simon McCartin and Lou Campana were reliable, Daniel Kilpatrick was handy in his return, but City lacked support when the going got tough.

Waters said his team attacked play well for three quarters but a team like Redan quickly punished the slightest drop.

“We didn’t get enough reward for our hard work early and made it hard for ourselves,” Waters said. “We’ve played all the other teams now, all our senior players know that (Redan) is the level and endeavour we have to match.”

City rooms were still after the siren. Waters led a team meeting and immediate analysis with players, lasting about 20 minutes.

Redan is the only team to have beaten City this season. Now the Lions had done so twice. City faces more Lions, Sunbury ones, next week.