Mooroopna dukes it out for gritty Goulburn Valley League win over Euroa

Daniel Johnston was the game’s most notable absentee and the Cats’ forward line had to improvise its way through four quarters against a Euroa side that came in with a point to prove.

Did John Lamont’s side ever accomplish its mission, though?

Sure, early majors to Jack McKernan, Tristan Davies and Jacob Gleeson had the Magpies flying early with a 13-point advantage at the first change.

The money was absolutely waiting on the other side of quarter-time for the home side, which took complete and utter control of the contest.

Not to potentially spoil what will almost certainly be a GVL Data analysis later this week in The News, but this was a half-hour worth studying.

More than doubling Euroa’s tackle count, the Cats’ effort paid off in spades as Keelin Betson went simply ballistic, picking up nine contested possessions and seven clearances in a frenzied showing out of the middle.

Up front, the most remarkable element of Mooroopna’s marauding seven-goal blitz was that seven different players hit the score sheet.

The fact is that the second term was the only one Mooroopna won on the day — but when you steamroll your opposition quite so emphatically, you can build a fair amount of credit.

There were no bags of goals to be found at either end on the day, but Euroa’s stars lifted as needed in the third term with Silver Yousif, Jacob Gleeson and Jett Trotter all finding the big sticks as the Pies started to dig their way out.

The issue they ran into, however, aside from the utter dominance of Betson in the stoppages, was the Cats’ sharpshooting habits.

Coach Ryan Pendlebury pushed up from the centre of defence to get involved in two goals, but the all-encompassing surge from Euroa was curtailed by - quite simply - Mooroopna’s inability to miss.

The sides finally launched into blow-for-blow competition in the final half-hour as all involved let loose with the game on the line, and while the Magpies got the upper hand exchanging shots, they never hit the front as the Cats scraped out a vital 12.3 (75) to 10.6 (66) win.

Betson was far and away the most prolific contributor with 38 disposals and an astonishing 21 clearances, while Kobie Issell and Jack McKernan lead each side’s lines with three goals apiece.

Mooroopna coach John Lamont was proud of his side’s resolve as the black and white rallied back late.

“We lost Nathan Drummond and Bayden Fallon before half-time, so to be down a couple of rotations, the resilience of the group was very positive,” Lamont said.

“Creating a buffer and maintaining it for the game was fabulous.

“We had a number of opportunities in the first quarter, and I felt our decision-making cost us scoring chances, but we tightened that up and scored and that made the difference.

“We didn’t over-possess, and we just executed it all better.”

Lamont obviously highlighted Betson’s impact, but also reserved praise for Coby McCarthy (28 disposals, 10 clearances), Bryce Rutherford (23 disposals, seven marks) and Dom Gugliotti (seven marks, five intercept possessions).

“When you have a win like that, there’s a lot to highlight,” Lamont said.

“The boys showed a lot of character with repeat efforts and efforts under fatigue.

“On top of that, kicking 12.3, you take that every day of the week.”

With Shepparton looming this week, fresh off a reality check at the hands of Echuca, Lamont says it all starts with clearance work.

“Ash Holland is up there with the best rucks in the competition,” Lamont said.

“It’ll start there with him, and we’ve got to make sure we’re competitive in the midfield, so we’ll have to bring an even contribution.”

On the losing end, Ryan Pendlebury lamented the lack of a killer ball to targets inside 50 despite Euroa winning the entry count on the day (47-44).

“We had six or seven shots in the first and didn’t convert them all, so it really makes a difference when you can take all your chances,” Pendlebury said.

“It’s really hard to defend when you don’t know where the ball’s going; it funnels through Daniel Johnston for them a lot, but with seven or eight goal-kickers, sometimes it can be beneficial when your best forward isn’t there.

“We were good at getting to that 60 to 70m range, but couldn’t find that one forward target.

“Shepparton United will be looking to bounce back (next week) and I think we’ve got Tatura the week after, so two wins and a reset at the bye would be good.”