MYRTLEFORD scored its first victory over Yarrawonga in a decade and went a long way towards securing a finals berth with a gritty 19-point win on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In swamp-like conditions at McNamara Reserve, the Saints kicked the first five goals of the match before surviving a late charge from the Pigeons to prevail 7.4 (46) to 3.9 (27).
The Saints moved to fourth on the ladder with the victory, which was their first against the Pigeons since the 2006 second semi-final.
Yarrawonga didn’t kick its first goal until the 15-minute mark of the third term and still has work to do to seal a top-three finish with matches against Lavington and Albury to come.
The Pigeons were on the back foot from the outset as the Saints shot to a two-goal lead on the back of some clever work by Hugh Wales and Riley O’Shea.
Matt Dussin was like the Rock of Gibraltar in defence for the home side with co-coach Brad Murray and youngster Lachie Dale providing plenty of spark with some precision ball use.
The Saints led by nine points at quarter-time and they quickly built on that advantage in the second term with the lively Nathan Cossignani and O’Shea banging on three goals in the space of eight minutes.
Sam Confait missed a chance to put the Saints more than five goals clear shortly after in what would prove to be the Saints’ last score for 45 minutes of play.
With the “buffalo breeze” in full swing, Yarrawonga worked its way back into the contest in the third quarter.
Nick Lawless moved into the midfield, Tom Walliss was sent forward and big man Brandon Symes showed how valuable he can be in attack, kicking the first of two goals.
When Symes kicked truly from close range five minutes into the final term, the margin was just six points and the natives were getting restless.
But the Saints showed how far they have come, withstanding the Pigeons’ pressure for the next 10 minutes before goals to Confait and O’Shea sealed a memorable victory.
“We had a real crack,” Murray said.
“We knew Yarra would keep coming but we just stuck at it.
“We’ve got great supporters and it’s a really good feeling coming into the rooms after a win like that, especially against a side like Yarra, who we haven’t had much success against for a while.”
Yarrawonga co-coach Chris Kennedy said the Saints deserved their victory.
“They certainly adapted to the conditions a lot better than us … they played really well and full credit to them,” he said.