The Northern Knights were able to put their last quarter fadeouts behind them on Sunday when they defeated the Geelong Falcons in a tense game, decided by only five points. It was a much needed win for the Knights, who had dropped their previous two. The win was just that little bit sweeter considering it came at the end of a long bus trip, while slippery conditions and a large ground were other factors the Knights managed to fight through.
As has become customary this year, the Knights got off to a strong start. Despite having the first goal kicked against them as a result of a 50m penalty, the Knights regrouped and kicked three goals in a row through Patrick Veszpremi, Aaron Coen and Steven Kelly. The Falcons returned fire with two of their own but the Knights steadied once again with a classy snap from Matt Kreuzer and a pair of goals from full forward, Tim Bongetti.
The Falcons started gaining some momentum in a four goal second quarter and were starting to get on top of the Knights, but Christian Sanfilippo got one back and Bongetti scored his third. With there being less than a kick in it heading to the break Knights captain, Jack Grimes stepped up and kicked a major on the siren to give the Knights a more comfortable ten point half time buffer.
The Knights were starting to struggle in the third quarter and were chasing tail for most of it. The Falcons were dealing well with the wet conditions, as a result of constant drizzle, where the Knights were having difficulty getting clean possession in the wet for the second week in a row. Bongetti kicking his fourth and Nyaburu Kelly were the highlights in a quarter that the Falcons won comprehensively by kicking five goals and thus taking a one goal lead into the final change. Significantly, the Falcons had been making the most of their opportunities having kicked 13.4 to the Knights' 11.10.
The final quarter was a see-sawing affair that saw the lead change often. First it was the Knights to jump out of the blocks, which was a welcome change to the poor finishes of the past couple of games, with goals from Adrian Totino, while Bongetti nailed his fifth. The Falcons took their lead back with two quick goals and by this stage the Knights were really showing the effects of the long road trip, while the large, damp ground was starting to take its toll.
Kreuzer was absolutely dominating in the ruck in one of the better individual performances you could hope to see from a highly touted youngster. Suddenly things weren't looking so good for the Knights when Bongetti went down with a strained medial ligament half way through the final term. This would be tough for the Knights to combat after he had been the focal point up forward all day.
Coach, Paul Satterley moved Veszpremi to fill the hole at full forward in what turned out to be a match winning move as he had an immediate impact with two quick goals. N. Kelly kicked his second goal of the game to give the Knights a little bit of breathing space, which is exactly what they needed as the Falcons had one more goal left in them. It wasn't enough, however as the Knights held onto a five point lead.
Knights region manager, Peter Kennedy said there were many positives the team could take out of a "gutsy win" like that. "Under pressure, the boys didn't give the game up. It was a result that showed a lot of character, especially in that last quarter when the lead kept changing." "Both mentally and physically the team were strong today, so we're really pleased with the effort that it took to come down here and win after all that travel and the injury to our full forward." He was particularly complimentary to the hard work that Totino and Luke Simpson put in at midfield and full back respectively, while he also noted that Grimes was in great form playing midfield for most of the day, while highly fancied youngster, Trent Cotchin was well held by his direct opponent for most of the day.
Final score: Northern Knights 16.12.108 def. 16.7.103
Goals: Bongetti (5), Veszpremi (3), N. Kelly (2), Coen, S.Kelly, Kreuzer, Sanfilippo, Grimes, Totino
Best: Kreuzer, Grimes, Veszpremi, Totino, Bongetti, Simpson
Last Modified on 30/03/2008 18:20