Under an overcast Flight Centre Park sky the Storm ended the day with nine individual goalkickers compared with Kyneton’s four.

Matthew Ferguson topped the list with six majors for the home side as prolific possession gatherers David Gallagher, skipper Shannon Geary, Lachlan Bonney and Kallen Geary kept pumping the ball forward during the third and fourth terms.

After trailing by just 13 points at half-time the Tigers were burnt through the midfield in the second half with the Storm winning 22.20 (152) to 11.3 (69).

New Kyneton coach Luke Beattie said his players had come together very well after a difficult period at the club following the midweek sacking of former senior coach Mark Adamson.

“The players certainly came together and I believed they’d be able to do that. So in that first half those 22 blokes went out and did very well,” Beattie said.

Beattie added landing 11 goals at Strath was among the highest scores by an opposing club against the Storm this season. 

The first half provided the real excitement of the day. Strathfieldsaye led by 16 points at the first change, booting four goals at the Tannery Lane end.

Mitchell Scholard nailed two of his five Kyneton goals for the afternoon in the opening stanza with his second a half-volley off the deck from the scoreboard flank.

Then Ben Weightman took centre stage. The Kyneton small forward booted all four of his majors for the day in an inspired second quarter spell. His second after he intercepted a terrible Strathfieldsaye defensive kick squared across the full-back line was followed by another, following a pinpoint Alik Magin pass.

The Storm managed to keep pace as Tom Bartholomew (2), Jake Hall and Ferguson drilled Storm replies.

After Weightman had landed his fourth goal, just before the siren thanks to a 50m penalty, Strathfieldsaye’s margin had been slashed to 13 points.

But that was the end of the Tiger charge. Strathfieldsaye added six majors to two in the third term and a further eight in the last as they blew the eventual margin out to close on 15 goals.

Lachlan Sharp stepped up for the Storm booting two third term majors, with Ferguson and Stephen Milne also providing targets up forward.

Ferguson started the final term onslaught with a long bomb in the opening 16 seconds, while Bartholomew bent back a marvellous set shot from left to right.

Storm coach Darryl Wilson said credit had to go to Kyneton for its first half.

“Their defensive mindset early on was strong while we were a bit clumsy with the ball,’’ Wilson said. “We did manage to burst their bubble in the second half and put the pressure on. They did fall away a little bit.”