Orbost Snowy Rovers’ under 17s returned to the winners’ list in emphatic fashion last Saturday, routing Paynesville in their East Gippsland Football Netball League (EGFNL) round 10 clash at AJ Freeman Reserve.
The mammoth victory broke an agonising six-game losing streak for the Blues, a lean patch that crucially included two defeats by just a single point. Remarkably, the youngsters hadn’t tasted success since round three, when they defeated the Gulls by 207 points at Lochiel Park.
This time around, the final margin was 205 points, with the dominant visitors accumulating 57 shots on goal while restricting the home side to just two scoring opportunities for the entire match.
The Blues came out firing from the opening bounce, slamming home 11 goals in a dazzling first term to open up a 73-point cushion by the first change. The deficit blew out to a whopping 160 points by three quarter time before the Gulls finally made an impact on the scoreboard, kicking two consolation majors in the final term.
Orbost Snowy shared the wealth up forward with 11 individual goalkickers. Daniel Martin led with seven majors, while Beau Hanratty and under-age talent Mitch Herbert slotted five apiece. Rusty Morrison and Damien Mitchell chipped in with three each, while Caleb Kenny, Seth Buckland and another impressive under-age contributor, Jacque Renaut, booted two each.
As expected in a victory of such magnitude, standout players were plentiful for the Blues, who won almost every position on the ground. The coaching panel ultimately named Rusty Morrison, Will Craigie, Hanratty, Thomas Macalister, Jarrah Morrison and Martin as their best, noting they had plenty of assistance across the board.
It was a far more disappointing story in the reserves fixture, with the Blues blowing a golden opportunity to climb into the top four.
Instead, Orbost Snowy extended its own losing streak to five games, falling victim to a giant-killing Paynesville outfit that delighted the home crowd by securing its second win in three weeks.
The Gulls laid the groundwork for the upset in the second quarter, booting five goals to one to establish a commanding 29-point advantage at the main break. That was as close as the visitors would get. Playing with immense confidence, Paynesville added seven goals to three in an inspired second-half display to run out comfortable 52-point winners.
Justin Smith was the lone multiple goalkicker for the visitors with two. On a tough afternoon for the side, Jacob Kane, Luke Dilena, Jake Hartley, David Perkins, Dan Kane and Hanratty were named among the Blues’ better players.
Remarkably, despite their recent lean patch, the seventh-placed Blues remain outside the top four on percentage alone. Stratford, Lucknow, Wy Yung and Orbost are all locked together on 12 points, though Paynesville is now breathing down their necks just one win behind on eight points.
The EGFNL will enjoy a league-wide competition bye this weekend. Orbost Snowy Rovers will return to Lochiel Park on Saturday, July 11, for a tough assignment against Boisdale Briagolong.
