THERE was no shying away from what an opening round win over Coburg meant to the VFL’s newest standalone entity, North Ballarat, on Saturday.
The gusto with which the Roosters sang the team song post-match said it all at Coburg.
North Ballarat had to fight all the way to secure the points – 12.9 (81) to 11.9 (75).
There was nothing pretty about the performance, but that did not matter.
The Roosters had delivered off the back of testing off-season, which featured a later than usual coaching appointment and its share of football politics.
They well and truly put all that behind them by getting down to the business of playing football, and most significantly winning.
North Ballarat took the early ascendancy with a five-goal opening quarter to lead by 18 points, but the further the match went the tighter it became with it up for grabs right through the last quarter.
Greig said he had been pleased with the way his players had responded under pressure as fatigue set in as a result of an injury-reduced interchange bench.
“They showed some real ticker. They showed they’ve go the right mindset.”
He said North Ballarat Rebels big man Nick Hausler, playing as the 23rd man, had typified the courage shown.
As the fifth member on the bench, youngsters given this opportunity usually play a support role, but he was thrown into the thick of the action in attack and also in the ruck and did the job.
Greig was also impressed by the one percenters youngsters such as Tom Templeton, Joel Cowan and Bailey Edwards were able to deliver – crucial in such a close match.
