BFNL: Like the Tigers of old....Kyneton digs in to keep finals hopes alive

The Tigers defeated fellow finals hopeful Eaglehawk on Saturday to move up to fourth on the BFNL ladder and set up another mini elimination final next Saturday against sixth-placed Sandhurst.

With the Tigers and Dragons playing the bottom two sides in the final home and away round, the winner of next Saturday's game at the QEO will virtually sew up a spot in the elimination final on August 28.

The loser will need a miracle (Kangaroo Flat upstaging South Bendigo in the final round) to have any chance of making the top five.

"It was never going to be pretty footy, we just had to grind away and make footy as hard for them as we could,'' Kyneton coach Paul Chapman said after the win.

"I thought our second half, in particular, was really pleasing. We had to find a way to get the four points and we did that.

"We look forward to Sandhurst next week now."

The last time Kyneton defeated Eaglehawk in both home and away matches in the same BFNL season, John Howard was Prime Minister, Paul Chapman was dominating under-16 junior footy and Derrick Filo lifted the Bendigo Advertiser Premiership Cup.

The year was 1997. The Kyneton Tigers were BFNL premiers for the second time in three years.

Saturday's 23-point win over Eaglehawk had shades of the glory years about it.

A big game, finals ramifications and the Tiger faithful in front of the grandstand roaring its approval.

The 2022 team is not in the same class as the great Kyneton sides of the 1990s, but the current day Tigers do have something about them that's pleasing to the eye.

The 13.7 (85) to 9.8 (62) win was orchestrated by the Tigers' top shelf talent.

Midfielder/forward Cameron Manuel oozed class and kicked five goals against the Borough for the second time this season.

Dean Bartrop made something happen it seemed every time he touched the Sherrin, while defensive generals Harrison Huntley and Frazer Driscoll controlled the back 50.

Fittingly, on a day that had a Kyneton late 90's feel about it, a Tiger midfielder by the name of Nolte played a big role in the crucial win.

25 years after his dad, David, tore opposition midfields apart in the Tigers' premiership run, young Angus Nolte is fast becoming a fan favourite for the yellow and black.

With classy forward/ midfielder Rhys Magin (hamstring tightness) out of action for the second-half, the Tigers needed someone to step up.

Nolte relished the challenge.

One week after kicking five goals against Golden Square, Nolte had a major impact on the game in the decisive third quarter.

With his side only leading by seven points at the main break, Nolte kicked the all-important first goal of the third term, had a hand in two Manuel goals and put his body on the line across half-back twice to earn two key free kicks for his side.

In the final term, with the game still on the line, Nolte won a vital one-on-one contest deep inside forward 50 and snapped his third goal of the game.

It gave the Tigers a 25-point buffer and there was no way back for the Hawks from there.

The icing on the Kyneton cake came in time-on.

Bartrop found Manuel with a neat pass and from deep on the half-forward flank at the city end his set shot sailed over the goal umpire's hat.

It was a play that summed up the difference between the two sides - efficiency going forward and clutch finishing in front of goal.

Much like the previous week's loss to Sandhurst, the Hawks didn't make the most of their periods of control.

In particular, the first half of the second quarter the ball spent a lot of time inside Eaglehawk's forward half of the ground, but the Borough couldn't crack the Kyneton defence.

The Hawks' most impactful player was Ben Thompson.

His rise to one of the best big-bodied mids in the BFNL has been the best thing that's happened to the Borough all season.

His contested ball work and marking was a feature, with a courageous mark running back with the flight of the ball inside the defensive 50 in the third quarter a highlight of the match.

Mathematically, the Hawks are still in the hunt for a finals berth. Realistically, the footy trip can be booked for any weekend in September.

"We weren't too far off, but we weren't good enough on the day to get the chocolates,'' Eaglehawk coach Travis Matheson said.

"While it's still mathematically possible (to make the finals) we'll push on and do everything we can do in our control.

"I wasn't disappointed with our effort today. We had five or six players today who have played less than 10 games of senior footy and I thought some of them played their best game at senior level.

"All things considered, I didn't think there was much more we could do today."

Aside from Ben Thompson, midfielder Dillon Williams and defender/back-up ruckman Clayton Holmes played well for the Borough.

Cam McGlashan kicked three goals in an entertaining duel with Harrison Huntley, while Sean Williams kicked three goals in the first quarter on Driscoll, but only had one more kick for the game.

The Hawks host Castlemaine next Saturday before completing their season with the toughest road trip in the BFNL - Gisborne at Gardiner Reserve.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: