WENTWORTH remain the only unbeaten team in the SFNL seniors’ football competition after withstanding Robinvale Euston’s “maximum heat” at John James Oval on Saturday.
Roos’ playing coach Wade Hancock played a Kevin Sheedy-type card in spicing up the clash with a pre-game claim that the Eagles had been disrespecting his now 8-0 side.
The barb not only sent tongues wagging around the league’s grounds, but it set up a home-and-away clash for the ages.
Both teams went goal-for-goal for most of the absorbing encounter, where the visitors prevailed by nine points in front a big and boisterous crowd.
In fact, both coaches, Hancock and Andrew Richardson, said post-game the game was played at a finals-like intensity.
You could barely look away given the serious heat in the contest from the first bounce.
The Eagles’ defenders, along with many in the crowd, took it upon themselves to return serve to Hancock’s pre-game shot.
However, the league’s leading goal kicker, who was held to two majors (taking his season tally to 41), didn’t take a backward step.
At times, he was getting pushed around like he was in a pinball machine. But he, along with a handful of teammates, gave back as good as they got during the game, which was played on a beautiful, sunny winter’s day.
It was fascinating stuff to watch for everyone at the packed ground, where the hill was full for three Eagles reunions on the day.
But, above all else, the quality of the contest was as good as you get in a regular-season fixture.
Roos’ returning favourite son, Derek Eggmolesse-Smith, was best on ground in his second match for the club since securing a release from Collingwood in the VFL.
He took the game by the scruff of the neck early in the third quarter, repelling the Eagles’ attacking forays in their forward 50, before quickly turning defence into attack.
His tackling pressure, like just about every other player on the park, was immense.
The former Richmond AFL player is poetry-in-motion as he loops around a teammate after chipping to them, before booting his team well into attack.He told Sunraysia Daily post-game that he is considering staying on for the rest of the SFNL season with Wentworth, where he has family.
Hancock will certainly be hoping so.
Another standout player for the Roos was 14-year-old Sam Cumming, a winner of our paper’s Rising Star award earlier this month.
Cumming was doing it all, from kicking a key goal, passing brilliantly and putting his young head over the ball in tight contests, in a game where there was no place for the faint-hearted.
In his post-game analysis, Richardson singled out both Eggmolesse-Smith and Cumming for special mention.
“I thought Derek made a big difference, and I thought young Sammy Cumming was really impressive. He’ll go a long way,” he said.
“He left us scratching our heads, thinking how do we stop him. And he’s just 14 years old.”
Even though they didn’t get the four points, Richardson was delighted with the performance of his 4-4 team, who remain in fourth, ahead of Merbein on percentage.
Asked if it was a season’s best showing, he said: “Absolutely. That’s the quality of footy we want to be playing, week in, week out.
“I think they drew it out of us today. Their game is really good, really solid – and it was a contest all day, right down to the last few minutes when we thought we had a chance to snatch it.
“I felt we brought maximum heat to the ball contest. We had 21 tackles in the third quarter, which was great.
“We identified that we needed to take their space, because when they get moving, they link up really well and move the ball quickly.
“We didn’t get the points, but we take confidence out of the game knowing that if we bring that same effort and execution every week, we’ll turn some heads in the second half of the season.”
Hancock was equally proud of his team’s ability to hold firm against a fired-up home team and hostile crowd.
“What I was really proud of was that our backs were against the wall all day but we managed to continue to drive and stand tall,” he said.
“That’s the hardest challenge we’ve had this year.
“They had to step up with their reunions. It was going to be their biggest (home-and-away) game of the calendar, and they played extremely well.
“Obviously, there have been differences (in the lead-up to the game), but I do have a lot of respect for their club and their culture. The way they came out and played their footy was amazing.
“They’ll be there come finals time. Richo’s got them going really well and he’s probably having the best season’s he’s had individually.”
Hancock also paid tribute to Eggmolesse-Smith’s influence from half back.
“In terms of the attacking side of it, he’s elite. And then he gets back and lays those big tackles,” Hancock said of the 2016 joint McLeod Medallist.
“We had some blokes who weren’t at their best today, but the fact that we were able to galvanise as a group against adversity, I’m super proud.
“For us to be still unbeaten is pretty special.”
