KYNETON leapfrogged Kangaroo Flat to snatch fourth spot on the BFNL senior ladder after their all-the-way four-goal win on Saturday.
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On a sodden and muddy Kyneton Showgrounds, where rain showers were interrupted by occasional sunshine, the Tigers booted the first three goals of the match in the opening 11 minutes.
It was a day when 10 to 12 goals was always going to be a winning total so Kyneton’s first term burst with the dry ball was crucial.
Nathan Thompson booted only one of his match-high three goals in the first half but his size and footy smarts were vital for the home side in their 10.10 (70) to 5.16 (46) win.
The Roos looked sluggish in the opening term. When co-captain Corey Greer snagged a goal with an opportunist kick out of a pack the Tigers already had landed a trio of majors: to Mitch Scholard, Patrick McCarthy and Taylor Kelly.
Ruckman Nick Higginson, Hamish Govan and Max O’Sullivan were prime movers for the Tigers and they continued their linkwork right through the day.
Thompson demonstrated his value to Kyneton when he retained his footing in the rain as three Roo defenders tumbled over around him and drilled the Tigers fifth major. When acting captain Ryan Carafa swung onto his left foot at the scoreboard end and nailed the Tigers’ sixth major the Roos were in deep trouble.
Finally just as the half-time siren sounded Kangaroo Flat’s Tom Holman took advantage of a 50m penalty to nurse home the Roos’ second goal. It was going to be a long way back for the Flat. Lance Oswald marked a high Rhys Healey ball in the goal square and just squeezed home a Roo major.
Then Nathan Thompson took over. He capitalised on a Scholard tap forward to spear home a Tiger major, slapped the ball towards the big sticks for Rhys Magin to soccer through Kyneton’s eighth goal and then eased home a free kick after he was pushed out in a marking contest.
It was a third term ‘purple patch’ for Thompson.
The last term was virtually a formality. The Roos needed to double their entire goal tally in one quarter just to get back on even terms.
When Hugh Schiavello drove home the Tigers 10th goal at the 11-minute mark it was game over.
Kyneton coach Luke Beattie said the build-up to Saturday’s game had really started last Tuesday night when likely match-ups had been discussed.
“Obviously a lot of relevance attached to the Flat game, especially after losing to South, so we needed to get a win to ensure the chance to make the finals remains in our own hands,” he said.