Greensborough has survived a last quarter onslaught from Whittlesea to hold on for a 17-point win and remain undefeated.
Whittlesea kicked the first four goals of the last quarter with the wind and looked like running over the top of the home side, but to the Boro’s credit they were able to steady and kick three of the last four goals to seal the game.
Greensborough led all day and worked hard to spread from the contests. They controlled the ball well and their clean disposal allowed them to score well against the wind. However, they will be a bit disappointed that they dropped off and failed to convert some simple goal opportunities.
Whittlesea will rue the fact that it took until the last quarter for it to take on the game. The Eagles fought hard around the stoppages but some of their decision making let them down.
Greensborough started the game with the aid of a strong wind to the Henry St end and were able to dominate the quarter as a result. The Boro were on top in the middle thanks to the work of ruckman Joel McLellan and had constant forward 50 entries.
However, their poor disposal at that stage meant they only kicked four goals. The Eagles struggled going forward and were thankful for the Boro’s bad discipline that lead to one of their two goals.
When Whittlesea received the wind in the second quarter they were unable to make much use of it. Greensborough defended well with Nick Riddle leading the backline. The bane of both teams was again their disposal as they turned it over heading forward. This benefited Greensborough the most as the Eagles had a poor quarter with the breeze, and it was only Nathan Andrews’ goal on the siren that allowed them to break even for the quarter.
The third quarter was the most disappointing for Greensborough as they had the opportunity to put the game away but kicked a wasteful 4.7 to keep the Eagles in the contest. This was not all the Boro’s fault as Whittlesea worked hard to win the stoppages and put lots of defensive pressure on. At times Greensborough struggled to get the ball out of its backline, but in managing to kick the last two goals of the quarter Greensborough was in the box seat going into the last.
Whittlesea burst out of the gates in the last quarter, and its early dominance in the stoppages had Greensborough in trouble. The Eagles’ fourth consecutive goal in a row came from an amazing soccer kick from Andrew Fairchild and at that stage they looked like running away with the game. However, Greensborough rallied to win the crucial centre clearance and kicked a goal which steadied the ship and from there was able to hang on.
Tristan Stead was best and his work on the wing and in the centre was crucial in setting up many Boro forays forward. He also stepped up in the last quarter when the game was on the line. Lachlan McQuilken was also impressive in the midfield, providing many clearances. Cameron Jordan impressed with three goals and providing plenty of pressure.
Whittlesea will be buoyed by the performance of Nick Snowdon who battled hard all day in the centre and pushed back hard defensively. He was supported well by Rocky Collins who provided great drive in the centre and Janan Daniel whose run and excellent disposal was crucial, particularly against the wind.
Final score: Greensborough 14.15 (99) def Whittlesea 12.10 (82)
