ST ARNAUD produced a stunning second-half turnaround against Charlton on Saturday to tighten its grip on a top four position in the North Central league.
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The Saints trailed by 42 points at half-time, having kicked just one goal to the main interval as the Navies led 8.5 to 1.5.
Yet by the final siren that 42-point deficit had been transformed into a 42-point victory – the Saints winning 15.7 (97) to 8.7 (55) at home.
The Saints booted 14 unanswered goals in the second half in a remarkable revival that keeps the big improvers of 2018 six points clear inside the top four.
Coach James NcManee and Michaelis McMasters kicked three goals each for the Saints, whose best players featured Harley Durward, Matthew Goode and Kane Sevallos-Seden.
Coach Kain Robins kicked four of Charlton’s eight goals.
The better players for the Navies were headed by Josh McKee, Mitchell Gleeson and Anthony Judd.
The result was a 93-point turnaround from their round five contest, which Charlton won by 51 points.
• In the other game of Saturday’s split round 12, Birchip-Watchem won the battle of the competition heavyweights against Wycheproof-Narraport.
The Bulls had the better of the second half to win 13.7 (85) to 8.8 (56) and keep intact their unbeaten record.
The visiting Demons led by four points at half-time, but the Bulls kicked away with seven goals to two in the second half.
“We probably should have been further up at half-time. We wasted quite a few opportunities going forward… we had five shots in the first quarter within 30m and only managed to kick one of them,” Demons coach Julian Bull said.
“And Birchip kicked their first three goals from 50m penalties, so we didn’t help ourselves there.”
The Demons were down to one on the bench after half-time as the games of Dane McLennan (concussion) and Spencer Allan (hamstring) ended early.
Allan had been the match-up for returning Bulls’ star Nathan Gordon (two goals).
Having been held goal-less in the first half, Birchip-Watchem key forward Stephen Paulke got off the leash after half-time kicking all seven of the Bulls’ goals.
The Bulls’ best were led by Dale Hinkley, Paulke and coach Lochlan Sirett, while the Demons were best served by George Turner, Toby Sheahan and James Coatsworth (two goals).
