IT'S a tough mountain to climb but the North Ballarat Roosters are already heading north, writes David O’Neill.
After a slow start to the 2013 season, the Roosters sit just one game outside the top eight after a 118-point demolition of Bendigo Gold on Saturday.
The emphatic victory, headlined by five goals to midfielder Myles Sewell, comes a week after an inspired come-from-behind victory against league powerhouse Port Melbourne.
The mid-year resurgence can gain serious momentum this week if the Roosters can overcome Sandringham in Gerard FitzGerald’s 300th VFL game as senior coach.
Sewell (29 possessions and eight clearances) ran riot on Saturday against an inexperienced Gold outfit, carving up his opponents with supreme foot skills and an ability to find space in the clinches.
But he wasn’t alone.
Steve Clifton dominated the opening term on the way to 23 disposals, while first-year talent Nick Rippon amassed 34 is his best game for the club.
At the back, Oliver Tate and Cameron Delaney mopped up everything that came their way, with the latter’s contested marking one of the highlights of the afternoon.
While for many the outcome was a foregone conclusion, Sewell said inside the Roosters camp they were determined to keep Bendigo quiet early.
“They’re a spirited team and last time we played them it took us until the final quarter to break them, so it was important for us to get on top early today,” Sewell said.
“We haven’t had too many four quarter efforts all year so it was nice to put one together today.”
With the tide slowly starting to turn after a disappointing start to the season, Sewell said it was imperative he and his side start to find some consistency.
“We’ve left ourselves with a bit of work to do but we’ve got Sandi (Sandringham Zebras) next week and if we can knock them off it will be three in a row and we can hopefully get on a roll and sneak in to the finals.”
Last Modified on 24/06/2013 14:24