PROUD South Bendigo co-coach Troy Coates says the Bloods’ stirring one-point win over Strathfieldsaye in round one of BFNL football will give them plenty of belief that they can match it with the competition’s best sides.<\/p>\n
Following a massive pre-season on the recruiting front, there was plenty of hype surrounding the Bloods entering round one.<\/p>\n
Crucially, they were able to deliver on their home turf at Harry Trott Oval, with recruits Kaiden Antonowicz (six goals), Tom Brereton, Mac Cameron and Jack Fallon leading the charge.<\/p>\n
It was just what the Bloods would have been hoping for from their high-profile signings.<\/p>\n
“Obviously we did some targeted recruiting and those guys were fantastic,” Coates said.<\/p>\n
“But one of the most pleasing things is we are not just focused on our seniors.<\/p>\n
“Our under-18s won quite comfortably, our reserves won and our A-grade netballers won. It was a great day all round.<\/p>\n
“There was a massive crowd there, record-breaking numbers over the bar and raffles \u2013 everyone was up and about on the weekend.<\/p>\n
“It just goes to show the potential of the club. We’re in a good spot.”<\/p>\n
Coates could not have been happier with his side’s resilience, after a run of six straight goals to the Storm during the third and early part of the fourth quarters threatened to undo their earlier good work in establishing a handy three-goal half-time lead.<\/p>\n
“They are a quality side, Strath, but it’s given a bit of belief to our boys that our best is good enough,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We were 36 points up at one stage, but we just took the foot off the pedal and came back hard.<\/p>\n
“They hit the front, but we pegged it back.<\/p>\n
“That was the most pleasing thing \u2013 they hit the front, but we didn’t give up. Obviously, that will to win is very pleasing as a coach.”<\/p>\n
The win was soured by another knee injury to Will Keck.<\/p>\n
The classy midfielder-forward returned for his first game since the 2023 elimination final following an ACL injury, but again finds himself on the sidelines.<\/p>\n
“He’s getting scans Thursday (yesterday), but unfortunately it’s not looking good for him,” Coates said.<\/p>\n
“He was training the house down and played all the praccy matches.<\/p>\n
“It’s devastating for the kid \u2013 he’s just trained so hard and was so up and about. He’s a South boy through and through, but to do that in his first official game back, it’s devastating.”<\/p>\n
The Storm will make do without co-captain Daniel Clohesy for the remainder of the season, after he underwent surgery on Sunday on an injured shoulder sustained in the third quarter.<\/p>\n
Coates said the belief gained from Saturday’s win would be needed in spades as the Bloods prepared to take on Gisborne at Gardiner Reserve on Good Friday.<\/p>\n
“It’s a tough ask \u2013 I don’t think too many teams have beaten Gisborne on their home ground over the last 10 years,” he said.<\/p>\n
“They had a massive weekend (against Kangaroo Flat) so they are going to be up and about.<\/p>\n
“It will be another big challenge for us to see where we are at.”<\/p>\n
In other Good Friday games, Strathfieldsaye hosts Sandhurst, which kick-started its premiership defence with a convincing 54-point win over Castlemaine; Eaglehawk, which opened with a 10-goal win over Golden Square, clashes with Kangaroo Flat at Canterbury Park; and Castlemaine and Golden Square meet at Camp Reserve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PROUD South Bendigo co-coach Troy Coates says the Bloods’ stirring one-point win over Strathfieldsaye in round one of BFNL football will give them plenty of belief that they can match it with the competition’s best sides. Following a massive pre-season on the recruiting front, there was plenty of hype surrounding the Bloods entering round one. […]<\/p>\n