IMPERIALS 11.16 (82)
IRYMPLE 10.5 (65)
GOALS: Imperials: D. Hankin 3, J. Fox 2, Bryce Hards, Brad Hards, J. McNally, L. Hickey, D. Arnold, J. Nihill. Irymple: J. Eagle 4, M. Roads 3, C. Mensch, J. Healy, N. Pezzaniti.
BEST: Imperials: H. Nolen, R. Hards, A. Douglas, D. Hankin, J. McNally, R. Scott. Irymple: P. Power, N. Mee, B. Jackson, J. Tulloch, B. Tankard, M. Roads.
THREE THINGS WE LEARNT
WHAT’S IN AN END? For a match with little wind assistance to speak of, the amount of scoring that happened at the Etiwanda Avenue end of Brian Weightman Oval was astounding. Just four goals and two behinds combined were kicked at the San Mateo Avenue end, with three coming in the final term. Irymple did not score at all when heading in that direction. It was a strange occurrence considering there seemed no obvious advantage in either direction.
NOLEN NAILED ON: Imperials co-coach Ryan Doherty admitted to the 106.7 HotFM coverage team post-game that at the start of the year the coaching group had no idea where to play Harry Nolen, but they thought maybe a wing might suit his game style. They were right. The 19-year-old has become a vital cog in their side as a ‘metres gained’ player, carrying the ball with his pace and booting it long as well. He also showed great courage in the contest.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE: Irymple co-coach Nick Mee let his troops know what he thought of their scoreless first quarter at the opening break. With Dan Coghlan missing through family commitments, the utility took it upon himself to move into the centre to try and make an impact. He was instrumental in the Swallows’ fightback and a leadership role clearly suits him.
MOMENTUM swings like a pendulum in football, but it was more noticeable than ever during Imperials’ 17-point win over Irymple.
The San Mateo Avenue end goalposts of Brian Weightman Oval barely broke a sweat as the majority of the scoring took place at the opposite side of the ground.
In a contest where tackling numbers were off the charts, it was the Green Machine who were off to a flyer, keeping the Swallows scoreless in the opening term before the reigning premiers returned the favour to trail by three points at half-time.
It was a repeat of the start in the third term as, despite missing some relatively easy shots at goal, Imps led by 29 at the final change.
Irymple surged back to start the final term with two goals in as many minutes, but the home side held their nerve to win over their grand final adversaries from 2019 for the second time this season.
Imps co-coach Brad Hards was pleased with the victory, but admitted his side could have done better.
“It’s good to get a win on the board, especially against Irymple,” he said. “There’s a fair rivalry we’ve got going there.
“Realistically we probably should have won by more, we definitely should have done better with some of the chances we had at goal.
“We’re trying not to look at the ladder too much, we need to concentrate on our game and make sure we’re doing all the right things. As we saw when we played Ouyen (United), if we’re not on our game we’ll get beaten, so while it’s good to be at the top end, it’s not our focus right now.”
Ryan Hards, who seems to age like a fine wine, was in everything early, while young gun Harry Nolen has come on in leaps and bounds.
David Hankin and Jayden Fox were dangerous up forward, while the consistent Alex Douglas again proved his worth.
A tough task for the undermanned Swallows was made harder with veteran Ash Kempton being a late withdrawal, joining Dan Coghlan, Nathan Hamence and Health Caldwell on the sideline.
Young guns Paddy Power and Brodie Jackson were impressive across four quarters while Nick Mee and James Tulloch tried to will their team to victory with impressive contested work.
Nick Pezzaniti only managed a solitary goal after booting a career-high 11 last week, however he wasn’t given a lot of opportunity for much of the game, especially during two scoreless quarters.
Jason Eagle finished four goals and, with three in the second term, and seemingly had the better of Matt Mazzini in one-on-one contests, however the Imps defender had some important touches late in the game to stop any momentum.
Irymple will take the bye week to recover, while Imperials will gear up to travel to Red Cliffs to face the Tigers.
