THEY say good kicking is good football, and that was certainly the case for Mansfield’s under 16 side in Sunday’s Wangaratta and District Junior Football League grand final.
The Eagles were up against minor premiers Imperials, and despite the fact it was the Imps who had more shots at goal, Mansfield won the match by 39 points, 11.4 (70) to 3.13 (31).
The Eagles took their opportunities all day long, and victory never looked in doubt after they opened a five-goal buffer with a 6.2-0.8 opening half.
Coach Steve Marks said his players were switched on from the opening bounce, while he suspected the pressure mounted on the Imps with every missed chance.
“They definitely had their chances,” Marks said.
“In the first quarter we kicked four goals to their four points, but they missed shots they shouldn’t have – if they’d had a couple of goals on the board at quarter time it might have been a different match, but I think that pressure did start to get to them.
“Heading into the match I knew our boys were right to go physically, but you never know how they are going to come up mentally.
“But I could see they had that want in their eyes – they were focused and nailed their shots.”
The Eagles’ biggest advantage over the Imps was boasting an even spread of talent all over the park.
“I think that’s a fair point,” Marks said.
“(Imps’) top 10 are excellent, and they have around half a dozen players who are absolutely brilliant.
“We probably don’t have the standouts, but we were a bit stronger across the whole team.
“I didn’t have any players I needed to hide.
“A couple of their key backs did tremendous jobs on two of our better players, but we had other boys who stepped up.
“Guys like Tyler Humphrey, who has been playing centre half forward and was best on ground on a wing – it’s important to have that kind of versatility and to be able to throw players around a bit.”
The Eagles had plenty of other stars on the day, including Billy Files, Will Foster, Patty Marks, Jayden Howes, Angus Appleby, James Coker and Thomas Sheahan.
“Billy Files played on Frazer Judd, who kicked 90-odd goals this season, and kept him to one goal in the semi final and one goal in the grand final,” Marks said.
“That is just an outstanding effort.
“We had a lot of very good players, but really it was just a matter of everyone going out there and playing their role, and I can’t fault a single player. “They all stood up.” Marks said the victory was monumental for the Mansfield side, and he is hopeful it will help the club continue to thrive in the WDJFL.
“It’s a big achievement to come across to a new league and win the flag, especially coming from where we were,” he said.
“That was one of the big things that we talked about with the boys – the fact that there can only be one team to win that first flag in a new league, and we wanted it to be us.
“We will lose 12 players out of the under 16 side, but the kids coming through the under 14s should keep us strong.
“Hopefully our success this year keeps the kids wanting to come through and play for the club.”
By - Scott Anderson.
10th September, 2014.
www.wangarattachronicle.com.au
Last Modified on 26/05/2015 09:09