THE Yarra way of playing footy eventually came to the fore in a pressure-packed rumble on the river at J.C. Lowe Oval on Saturday.
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The Pigeons got their season back on an even keel after consecutive losses, but it wasn’t without a fight as they outlasted Corowa-Rutherglen by 15 points in an enthralling contest.
Skipper Tim Cooper was the hero for Yarrawonga in his 100th Ovens and Murray match, winning close to 30 possessions and kicking three goals, including the one that regained the lead midway through the last quarter.
The Pigeons were once again jumped at the start, finding themselves 22 points down within 18 minutes as Lee Schmidt exploded with three early goals, including a cracker from the boundary, but fought back by quarter-time to set up a tense struggle.
Yarrawonga kicked into gear late in the first term, and looked like it was taking control with five of the next six goals to claim the lead.
But every time the Pigeons looked like kicking away, Jimmy Svarc bobbed up, with three goals for the term — his fourth making it a three-point margin at the main break.
Former Roo Tyler Bonat, who was outstanding all day rivalled Schmidt’s earlier goal of the year contender from the God-fathers’ pocket, while Beau Seymour played one of his best games for Yarrawonga across half-back and as a second ruckman.
Yarrawonga dominated the third quarter in heavy rain, with Seymour and Xavier Leslie particularly prominent, but the Roos’ defence, led by the best pairing in the competition at the moment of Al Austin and Kade Kuschert — Austin kept Brendan Fevola to 1.1 — continually turned back the tide with support from Jordan Lavis, Jack Schilg and Luke Kuschert.
When Svarc, who played a terrific game opposed to Did Simpson medallist Connor Hargreaves, kicked his fifth in the shadows of three-quarter-time, it was an eight-point margin turning for home the momentum had shifted again.
A tough battle ensued in the final quarter, with no scores for nine minutes before the classy James Brain, who turned 25 on Friday, kicked a crucial goal and Kodee Lowe slotted a beauty from the pocket to give the Roos the lead at the 12-minute mark.
Corowa-Rutherglen looked like winners at that stage, but an inspirational chase and tackle from the hitherto beaten Hargreaves stopped the wave, and Cooper regained the lead with a critical goal before Matt Gorman and then Jarryd Whinray steadied the ship to ensure Yarrawonga would get the points.
“It wasn’t looking great when they hit the front in the last quarter, but Cooper got us back with that great captain’s goal in his 100th game,” co-coach Fevola said
“They kicked a few early but we worked our way back into it and it was great to grind out a win.
“Our young blokes from the thirds are really going well, Damon Hemphill and Brady Pritchard are bonafide O and M footballers and Marcus Hargreaves runs hard at the footy all day.
“The thirds train with us a lot and we teach them Yarra footy from the start.”