CRESWICK has christened its new home ground with a hard-fought 29-point victory over Learmonth yesterday afternoon at a wet and muddy Doug Lindsay Reserve.
In a scrappy contest, the Wickers prevailed 10.11 (71) to the Lakies 6.6 (42).
Liam Hepworth and Tyler Booth starred in the midfield for Creswick, while up forward Ryan Pompe took a number of contested marks and booted three goals.
Livewire half-forward Matt Longridge and Paul Hoffman were also very solid performers for the home side.
The Saints led their opponents from start to finish in the bruising encounter, dominating the contested ball and stoppages.
Coach Damien Lubeek was thrilled with his side’s ability to win the in and under scraps in the packs.
“I was really happy with the contested possessions today, it’s something we’ve been working really hard on for all of pre-season and today I thought we attacked really well. I was very pleased with our efforts,” he said.
One impressive aspect to the home side’s performance was their ability to answer back when Learmonth rallied and managed to draw within three-goals mid-way through the third quarter.
“In a game like this, it’s all about mental toughness and the ability to stand up under pressure, so I was just very pleased with our midfield and how they stood up and won the contested ball,” Lubeek said.
“I just said that it was a non-negotiable today, we had to win not just for us, but for all the old players and the community, we were delighted to win how we did.”
Creswick will travel to Beaufort this weekend and will hope to bring a similar mentality to that match, while Learmonth will want to rebound against Clunes at home in round three.
