MID-year adjustments are really showing in the Roosters’ game.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
North Ballarat Roosters relentlessly blitzed Frankston for a 103-point win at Eureka Stadium on Saturday. Since early June, Selkirk Roosters coaching staff re-set team key performance indicators and each week they have been sharpening the focus.
The Roosters far exceeded their target for forward-50 entries and dominance in the stoppages to put a stranglehold on the Dolphins.
Roosters coach Gerard FitzGerald said it was hard to gauge exactly how much was Roosters’ power against a winless Dolphins’ outfit, which has served up competitive and spirited efforts to strong rivals this season.
“It is hard to know how good we were because we would have to know how good Frankston rated its performance,” FitzGerald said. “They would be very disappointed with how they played and would have thought they were better equipped to do better than they did. I admire their coach, he’s certainly got them playing to a good system.”
Roosters defender Luke Kiel shut down dangerous Frankston forward Nathan Gardiner, who had been starting to make an impact. Gardiner only had three touches under Kiel’s check.
While Roosters captain Myles Sewell sets the tone as one of the league’s premier inside-midfielders, Nick Rippon continued to step up his game with 32 dispoals, nine tackles and eight clearances, showcasing the attacking and defensive pressure in his game.
North Melbourne-listed duo Trent Dumont and Brad McKenzie were also tough defensively with seven tackles apiece. Lachie George’s kicking is impressive this season but his impact inside the Roosters’ forward-50 has been pivotal. George took three marks and is influential in goal assists.
The Roosters celebrated their partnership with TAC Cup team North Ballarat Rebels in a double-header with Sewell, a former Rebels best and fairest and captain, offering advice in Rebels’ huddles.