Devils hold out hungry Lions

DARLEY remains at the top of the BFNL table for a second week after a grinding 24-point win over Redan last Saturday.

The Devils set up their sixth win in a row with an eight-goals-to-three opening half that saw the lead blow out to 34 points.

Credit to the eighth-placed Lions for working themselves back into the game against the odds, inflicting the Devils with their first, third-quarter loss of the season narrowing the margin to 17 points and within striking distance. The Lions would have given themselves a “punchers'” chance of pulling off a major upset, kicking with the aid of the breeze for the final 30 minutes.

But it wasn’t to be.

The Devils simply did enough to hold out a determined Lions outfit, who earned the plaudits of opposition coach Dan Jordan.

“Redan were very good around the contest and didn’t give us any room in the second half,” Jordan said.

“Their pressure, especially through the middle part of the ground, affected our connection going forward which limited our ability to hit up targets and score freely.”

Gun Devils midfielder Nick Hind was the standout, finishing with 37 disposals and two goals to be named best afield, while Brett Bewley was considered to be “restricted” in his output despite accumulating 47 posssessions of his own. The Devils midfield trio, recently branded BHB (Bewley, Hind, Baker) in “Brick Town” for the blue chip nature of their stocks, surpassed the 100 disposals mark once again, finishing with a combined 106.

Despite the separation of the two sides on the ladder, Redan coach Gary Learmonth chose not retreat into the “honourable loss” space.

“(It was a) frustrating loss,” Learmonth said.

“Darley’s class just got us in the end.”

Young ruckmen Lucas Impey (Darley) and Rudie Forde (Redan) entertained with an aerial and athletic display to feature in the best for their respective camps.

Lions ball magnet Rory Gunsser was named best for the visitors.

Devils half-forward Andy Azzopardi finished with a game-high three goals while the keys struggled for impact.

Brady Wright (one goal) and Will Johnson’s task was made more difficult on the back of pressured entries at one end, while Lions pair Taj Bond (two goals) and Lachie George (one goal) had Billy Myers and Matthew Brett to deal with at the other.

Jordan was a relieved figure walking away with the points, not discounting a host of valuable lessons more often derived from a loss.

A danger game awaits the Devils at Mars Stadium on Saturday against seventh-placed North Ballarat.

Any resemblance of the Roosters’ best 22 players on paper is more than capable of testing any of the top four sides currently tied at the top of the table with just one loss.

For Redan, a winnable game presents at City Oval in the form of Ballarat.

These promising young sides are not dissimilar to the box of chocolates theory – you just don’t know what you’re going to get.

What the coaches said:

Overall –

Jordan (Darley): “Always pleasing to walk away with a win and plenty of learnings. Redan were very good around the contest and made us earn any advantage especially after quarter-time. It’s a long year; performances will vary. We won’t be taking any wins for granted. The focus shifts to another tough game ahead against North Ballarat at Mars Stadium, which hasn’t been our best hunting ground in recent years.”

Learmonth (Redan): “A frustrating loss. Disappointing first half where we were sucked into the contest. Second half was super where we were able to control large parts of the game. Unfortunately we weren’t able to make the most of our opportunities; Darley’s class just got us in the end. Hopefully we can take lots of learnings out of it for next week. Terrible injury to Jacob Short took a fair bit of wind out of the group.”

BACKS –

Jordan: “Questions were asked of our defensive unit today. Billy Myers, Mitch Gardiner and Jarrod White made solid contributions. The boys were under the pump at times on the back of minimal pressure entries that gave them some good looks.”

MIDS –

Jordan: “Tough battle today, we were unable to get the contest on our own terms for any significant periods after quarter-time. (Nick) Hind and (Lucas) Impey were probably the standouts for us this week. Redan were strong around the contest and made it difficult to win the loose ball.”

FORWARDS –

Jordan: “Mid-forward connection remains a work in progress for us. The pressure on our entries made our forwards’ task that little bit harder. We had a new-look scenario inside 50 this week, which we will continue to invest the time for maximum results. Andy Azzopardi was arguably our most dangerous contributor in the front half finishing with three very handy goals.

Scores

Darley 5.4 (34), 8.6 (54), 9.9 (63), 12.12 (84) def

Redan 1.2 (8), 2.8 (20), 6.10 (46),

7.18 (60).

Best: Darley – N. Hind, L. Impey, M. Gardiner, An. Azzopardi, B. Myers, J. White, B. Bewley; Redan – R. Gunsser, R. Forde, B. Pope, L. Bond, T. Bond, K. Jess.

Goals: Darley – An. Azzopardi 3, N. Hind 2, H. Inglis 2, B. Wright, Ad. Azzopardi, G. Hatcher, M. Edwards, B. Bewley; Redan: T. Bond 2, J. Connolly 2, X. Gleeson, L. George, K. Jess.