Darley produced what coach Heath Scotland described as the most “pleasing” performance in his time in charge of the Devils to get over arch-rival Bacchus Marsh by the narrowest of margins in the Ballarat Football League on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
He said his players had shown real character in getting home by one point – 11.12 (78) to 11.11 (77) – against high quality opposition in the face of a series of stumbling blocks on the day.
“It was a great result. I’m proud of the effort.”
The Devils at one stage were reduced to not having a player available on interchange after injuries to assistant coach Day Roy (knee), Steve Kennedy (gluteal muscle) and Matt Young (shoulder), and blood rules for Daniel Robson and Jacob Zeestraten.
Young was also reported and yellow carded in the third quarter for head high contact of Jacob Chisari (concussion) in a period when Bacchus Marsh opened up a 31-point lead.
Scotland also praised the on-field leadership in getting through adversity.
He said there had been some doubters questioning this aspect since his retirement as a player after last year’s grand final and move to a non-playing role this season.
Scotland said the leadership of the likes of captain Shane Page and Brian Graham had been outstanding.
As much as there was to celebrate for Darley, there was a downside with the win potentially coming at a heavy price.
Scotland told The Courier on Sunday that he feared Roy might have suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage in the first quarter.
He was initially believed to have suffered a hyer-extension, but Scotland said the signs were not good. “Fingers crossed.”
Kennedy’s immediate future is also under a cloud.
Scotland said Kennedy had gone into the game with a niggle, but had been confident of overcoming it.
Kennedy began his first game back with the club since 2016 impressively, showing no signs of any issues.
However, it became evident in the second quarter he was having trouble.
Kennedy played deep in attack in the third term, but that was where his day ended.
Bacchus Marsh coach Travis Hodgson said Darley had shown great courage. “They were enormous.”
He said there was no doubt they made a statement.
“They’re the one to beat.”
Hodgson said it had been a disappointing outcome for the Cobras after adding six unanswered goals from late in the second term to have all the momentum and set up what should have been a match-winning lead.
He said Bacchus Marsh made the mistake of trying to sit on the lead, allowing Darley to regain control of the ball and take the speed out of the game.
“We pushed hard to hold on, but opened the door (for Darley).”
