Yarrawonga coach Damian Sexton says the bugbear of so many teams in Albury’s decade of dominance –experience – cruelled his team’s hopes of an upset on Saturday.
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The Tigers held a four-point lead at three-quarter time in a pulsating clash, before they landed three goals to one in a 12.18 (90) to 10.12 (72) win.
“They just had a little more experience than us,” Sexton said.
“It was a fantastic effort, three goals at the end was the most it got to for the day.”
Veterans Luke Daly, Luke Packer and three-goal star Charles Gaylard joined co-coaches Shaun Daly and Chris Hyde in stellar form.
“I probably thought late in the game it helped, but the first three quarters it was our younger guys and their pressure that kept us in the game,” Shaun Daly said.
Teenagers Jake Gaynor, Jessy Wilson and Rhys King (two goals) provided that pressure which forced the youthful Pigeons into errors.
Albury went into the match without Dean Polo, with general soreness, while star forward Brayden O’Hara was playing his first game in a month following an ankle complaint.
But it was the underdogs who grabbed a three-point lead at the break, only for an inaccurate home side to steal the initiative with a two-goal half-time buffer.
The Pigeons pegged it back before the Tigers’ class prevailed.
However, Sexton maintains the Pigeons took a step forward.
“Yeah, we did,” he said.
“Logan Morey played his first game and that was good to have an experienced campaigner in our back half.”
Morey was only confirmed as a starter on Thursday after leaving Essendon District outfit, Strathmore.
In another promising sign, Matt Casey and Jess Koopman landed three goals apiece.
Yarrawonga will be desperate for ruckman Lach Howe to stay with the club after playing a number of recent games at VFL level.
Howe has played seven games and featured in the top three players in six matches.
And on-baller Harry Wheeler has also been remarkably consistent, only failing to be named in the best once in the 11 rounds.
Albury’s win means it’s now racked up 11 straight against the Pigeons, with their last win in the 2013 grand final.
The Tigers now face their second top of the table clash in a fortnight against Wangaratta, while Yarrawonga is away to Wodonga.