Goals: Sam Dunstan 4, Nathan Dunstan 1, Baliey Minogue 1, Brady Mortan 1, Tom Young 1.
Best: Ryan Eyers, Darcy Hope, Scott Jansen, Sam Dunstan, Nathan Dunstan, Brady Morton
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Corowa-Rutherglen piled the pressure on a highly fancied Wangaratta Magpies on Saturday yet fell short at the final siren.
Starting the game solidly, the Pies wanted to set a tone of dominating on their home deck. However, they were met by a fired-up Roos outfit, led by defender Ryan Eyers.
Eyers, who had 24 disposals and 8 intercept marks for the afternoon, was unpassable, leading to Wangaratta shifting their focus to a wider entry point to goal.
Both in the air and along the ground, Eyers took control, which will likely see him once again poll in the Jim Sandral medal strongly.
Scott Jansen gets this handball out in a tight contest.
Joining Eyers in the best included Scott Jansen, who let the way on the disposal count with 27, including 10 inside 50 entries in what was his best outing for the season.
In a see-sawing affair, the Magpies flirted with their ability to dominate games, but the Roos extinguished the fire with their own firepower in return.
It was an entertaining hitout that despite the Roos going down by 26, showed that the team is capable of performing against the best teams in the Ovens & Murray.
The game also saw another debut of local talent, with Isaac Dickinson playing a solid game at half forward, highlighting the strength of the Roos' junior pathways.
Tommy Young gets a handball out before being tackled.
With just two games remaining for the season, the Roos will hope to break through for a win in the comeback season, starting with a home game against the Wodonga Raiders this Saturday.
Awards: Ryan Eyers, Darcy Hope, Scott Jansen, Sam Dunstan.
Ryan Eyers racked up eight intercept marks in the backline for the Roos.
Reserves
The Roos reserves rolled out in a difficult match up against the ladder-leading Wangaratta, despite several injuries and players unavailable.
The side was propped up thanks to the efforts of the Under 18s, who supplied seven players who doubled up from their morning game. Also appearing was David Marks from Geelong, who was busy across half back.
For the Roos, it was captain and fill-in coach Will Bott who was best afield, alongside Roos senior coach Steve Owen who was superb across half back.
Awards: Brodie Eyers, Will Bott, Jason Marks, Jack Keys.
Thirds
This week we were on the road to Wangaratta to face one of the top sides in the comp.
The first 10 minutes of the game were a genuine scrap. The ball was slippery, and both teams' pressure around the footy was through the roof. We were able to get the first goal on the board after 10 minutes of footy. We were able to get another on the board before the end of the first term, keeping them to just one.
It was one of our best first quarters of the year.
To be able to go head-to-head with the one of the benchmark teams and go into the first break a goal up was a massive effort and a great reminder for the group of what they are capable of.
In the second quarter, Maggie’s really started to dominate the game, but our pressure and repeated defensive efforts kept them within striking distance going into halftime.
The scoreboard in the second half didn’t entirely reflect our game. The group was able to maintain pressure and effort for four quarters and didn’t give up until the final siren. It’s always tough not getting a score in the second half, but I can’t thank the boys enough for pushing right to the end.
Awards: Luke Nicholson, Caile Duryea, Jay Lavis, Judd Kuschert.
Roo news
Everyone is welcome to come along to our last home game this Saturday against the Wodonga Raiders. Followed by a get together at JFO after the game, food available and bar open.
A grade will be in a tight match up and a great game to watch against the top of the ladder Raiders team.
The senior football will see both sides fighting for a possible win! There will be a Thursday night dinner at the Club Corowa on August 15th.
There are lots of things coming up in the next few months. Gold Bullion tickets are available on our website for $50/ ticket, as are tickets to our Jack Riewoldt lunch on 11 October at Corowa Distilling. It’s Jack's first event since retiring.
Roo lotto winner this week number 214 - Alison Baker.
