It was a welcome return home for the Inverell Saints on Saturday when they strode onto Varley Oval to take on the table topping Tamworth Swans in Round 12 of the TAFL. It had been 6 long weeks since they had taken to their home ground, but the Saints were quick to fall back into the familiar surroundings, taking the early intiaitive in a match they had to win to keep their finals hopes alive.
After starting last week's so poorly, a good start was the focus from coaches Peter Heath and Dick Gleeson, and that was exactly what the Saints got, kicking the first 3 goals of the match and taking that buffer into the first change. Beau Ryan started on the half forward flank and was on fire early, booting 3 first quarter goals to get the Saints on their way. Ben Lee was also brilliant early, winning the majority of the ball out of the ruck and supplying the midfield with first use.
Just as a good start was important for the Saints, so was continuing on in the second quarter and this time it was Joe Kimmince who was leading from the front, booting his 3 goals of the match all in the second stanza. Kimmince's leading and hard running was proving to be too tough for the Swans defense to reel in, and with Jason Gobbert adding to his tally, the Saints kicked another 6 goals to the Swans 3 for the quarter to take a commanding 39 point lead into the long break.
The third quarter has been a struggle for the Saints this year, and the Swans could sniff a comeback when they booted the first 2 goals of the quarter and put themselves back into a position to challenge the Saints. However, a couple of settlers to Ryan steadied the ship for the Saints, despite the sending off of Darren Pithers for striking. The Saints were outscored for the quarter, but were able to maintain a strong 5 goal lead heading into the final quarter.
Needing to seal the game, the Saints held firm in the final quarter, restricting the Swans to just 1 goal whilst adding 3 of their own. The Saints actually finished the game with just 16 men after Jason Gobbert was also sent from the field for a high hit. Despite this, the Saints were still able to maintain control of the flow of the game, and were able to take their first victory over the Swans for the season.
Both Ryan and Lee were named amongst the best for the Saints, as was Dan Corcoran, who played a great role floating across half back and providing run through the midfield. Mick Corley was given a tagging role which he carried out superbly, sacrificing his own game to take out one of the Swans most dangerous players in the process. Ryan finished with 6 goals, ably supported by Gobbert and J. Kimmince with 3 each.
It was arguably the Saints most polished performances for 2009, and one that will go along way to guaranteeing a finals berth. The Saints need only to win one of their last 3 matches to book their spot, and can still challenge for a home final now that the top of the ladder sees a three way log jam with the Bulldogs, Swans and Kangaroos, with the Saints only one win back from that group but with the best percentage in the league. Next week is a huge match against the Nomads in Armidale, who will be keen to keep their slim hopes alive by beating the Saints.
Last Modified on 03/08/2009 11:12