THE Murray Bushrangers overcame some inaccurate kicking for goal to hold off Calder Cannons by 19 points at Craigieburn on Saturday.
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Hampered by a tricky breeze, the Bushrangers kicked 2.8 to 0.1 in the opening quarter to keep their opponents in the contest.
Leon Higgins’ side finished with 27 scoring shots to 13.
“We controlled the first quarter but couldn’t put any score on the board which left us a bit vulnerable for the rest of the game,” Higgins said.
“We didn’t play the conditions well enough, particularly early.”
Calder Cannons, who are anchored to the bottom of the ladder without a win, closed to within 10 points at the final change but couldn’t get any closer.
They were strengthened by the inclusion of academy ruckman Noah Balta who was outstanding at the centre bounces and around the ground.
Kyle Clarke and Ben Paton turned in solid performances in defence for the Bushrangers while Jessy Wilson kicked three goals in a low-scoring contest.
Doulton Langlands, Harry Jones and Hudson Garoni also played well.
“I thought we were a bit patchy,” Higgins said.
“We were OK for periods of the game but then we lost control around the stoppages which put us under a bit of pressure.
“They had some inclusions as well which made a difference.”
The Bushrangers take on Sandringham at Wangaratta on Saturday.
