Expecting to face a wet match on their journey to Armidale, the Tamworth Swans were pleased to find the sun shining and Bellevue Oval in glorious order for their round 7 match against the New England Nomads, even if the icy wind provided a more typical Armidale welcome. With a full list for the first time this month, the Swans were eager to face off against the in form Nomads.
From the opening bounce the Nomads took control of the match, having the better of the centre clearances as the Swans struggled to get their hands on the early ball. Boasting a forward line, the Nomads piled on three quick goals against the shell shocked visitors, and when a fourth followed after a contentious free kick they looked like putting the contest to bed in the first stanza. The Swans regrouped though, and through determined efforts at the tough ball were able to put the brakes on the Nomads scoring. Getting the better of the midfield contest late in the quarter, and with the backline coming to grips with their opponents, the Swans failed to take benefit of the shift in momentum. Failing to goal from five scoring shots for the quarter, the Swans went into the first break trailing by 21 points.
Enthused by the manner in which they closed the first quarter, the Swans opened the second with renewed aggression when the ball was in dispute. Reaping the rewards for their preparedness to put their head over the hard ball, the Swans again had the better of the midfield contest, but struggled for clean possession in the forward fifty. Goals did come through Gavin Knee and Kyle Nicholls, but as the Swans clawed back into the contest the mobility of the Nomads made them pay for any skill errors as they moved the ball with elan along the flanks. Despite conceding three goals to the Nomads and facing a deficit of 29 points at half time, the Swans were confident of their ability to match their hosts.
The Swans entered the third period keen to take the contest right up to the Nomads, but again found themselves under siege from New England's speedy ball movement. Three quick goals saw hope of any comeback slip away, but the Swans fought back again to get the better of the contested possessions. Effective in slowing the match, the Swans built pressure on the New England back line to see Gavin Knee goal, but the Nomads' slick movement of the ball out of half back came to the fore to see them close the quarter with a goal and take a commanding lead of 56 points into the long break.
Possibly smelling the blood in the water, the Nomads poured into attack from the start of the fourth quarter. Struggling to clear the ball, short on legs and with the contest dead, the Swans found it tough going in matching the speedy attack from the Nomads, who piled on eight goals to none in the final term to blow the score line out. Despite being convincingly beaten, the ultimate gap of 103 points did not truly reflect how competitive the Swans had been for much of the match.
Ross Fraser was again a stand out for the Swans, and his efforts saw him named as their best. Carl Shave returned in his first match since 2009, and was named the Player's Player.
The Swans return to Number One Oval next week for their Sponsors and Ladies Day, as the face the League's other in form team, the Tamworth Kangaroos, in the second leg of this year's Billy Holder Cup.
FINAL RESULTS:
NOMADS: 4.2 (26) 7.4 (46) 12.7 (79) 20.9 (129)
SWANS: 0.5 (5) 2.5 (17) 3.5 (23) 3.8 (26)
GOALS:
NOMADS: Dave Richards (8); Ashley Cruickshank, Simon Stubbs (3); Benjamin Julien, Zac Economou (2); David Graan, Jarred Veall (1).
SWANS: Gavin Knee (2); Kyle Nicholls (1).
BEST:
NOMADS: Cameron Grigg, Dave Richards, David Graan, Hugh Cook, Riley Connor, Clinton Ballagh.
SWANS: Ross Fraser, Carl Shave, William Priest, Damien Wendt, Dean Finlay, Josh McKenzie.
Last Modified on 27/05/2012 21:52