Romsey Redbacks have strengthened their dominance in the RDFL competition with a 27-point win over Macedon at Tony Clarke Reserve on Saturday. It may not have been the typical, flashy, hard running that fans are accustomed to seeing from both sides but the physical approach hadn't changed. On the back of lots of rain in the lead-up to the weekend, the oval's surface was solid enough underneath to have the water sit on top and provide somewhat of an ice-skating rink for players as they found it difficult to maintain their footing.
BIG CHANGES
Macedon missed the physical presence of backmen John Harley and Jon Nadin in the team. Nadin would have been crucial in defence to help shutdown Matt Davidson. That role went to Ross Moloney who successfully shut down Riddell's Mick Allen in recent weeks. The injury curse struck the Redbacks yet again with Leigh Erwin going down with a rib injury at the end of the previous week's win over Diggers Rest. Nathan Blair returned to the team for his first game while his older brother Matt played his first game.
CATS DOMINATE
The sun shone brightly to start the game and it was the Cats that were switched on early. They moved the ball brilliantly through the midfield and won the early ruck contests but them seemed to break down across half-forward as the Redbacks put more numbers behind the ball. This made life difficult for the Macedon side who couldn't find any forwards in free space to take a clean mark. They scored two behinds from free kicks in the first eight minutes but from there, it was one-way traffic. After Christiansen kicked a minor score for the Cats, Romsey went coast-to-coast and found Matt Davidson with plenty of space up forward to take a telling mark 25 metres out from goal. This would spark the team to life. Brad Mitchell goaled just three minutes later in the right forward pocket to put the margin out to 10 points. The damage was still not completely done yet. The Redbacks swept the ball beautifully through the middle to spot up Davidson yet again. Moloney spoiled brilliantly but as fans are used to seeing from Davidson, he sharked the ball from the spoil, kicked perfectly around the body on his right foot from 30 metres out and kicked a goal the only way he could. He would finish the quarter with four goals as the Redbacks blew the margin out from a two-point deficit to a 29-point lead in the space of 15 minutes. Angus Storey showed plenty of promise in the ruck against Macedon coach Al Meldrum who was having an outstanding physical presence in the middle for the Cats.
INJURY STRIKES
The Cats needed more presence in the forward line and they found themselves in strife when Peter Markworth advanced forward and hit the post from very close range. A Romsey tackle affected the kick and in the same action he injured ligaments in his ankle which put him out action for the rest of the game. This was a big loss for the Cats who were making big strides to get themselves back in the game. Youngsters Callum Dick and Mark Cox were influential for Macedon across half-back and half-forward but the experienced bodies of Farmer, Green, Dawson and Mitchell proved to be too strong. Romsey's Leigh McInerney goaled from a mark and 50-metre penalty at the eight-minute mark and when Jayden Murnane goaled on the run, the margin blew out to a game high 40 points. From there, the Cats proved wasteful in front of goal, missing several kickable goals due to the slippery conditions. Shaun Neeson and Aaron Christiansen kicked goals to reduce the margin back to 25 points at half-time, 7.2 to 2.7. Neeson and Christiansen threatened the goals on a number of occasions and were rewarded.
HARD SLOG
The third term was a battle for both sides as neither was able to break the game apart. Mitchell continued to win the ball across the scoreboard wing while Farmer knocked up plenty of the Burley through the centre. There was a record number of ball-ups and throw-ins despite the sunny conditions and occasional drizzle. Davidson kicked the goal of the day that was similar to the first goal from around the body in the first term. This time he swung around on his left boot as he seemed to be facing opposition goals. Tim Dettman was praised for his efforts for making the quarter his own as the margin was out to 39 points at three-quarter time.
CATS CHIP AWAY
When Davidson kicked his sixth at the two-minute mark of the final quarter, the margin blew out to 45 points. This would prove to be the last score for the Redbacks as the Cats kicked the last three goals of the game through Preston, Wright and Davies respectively. Davies was one of the hardest workers for Macedon all day as he worked the ball well from half-back to half-forward. The sun disappeared for the day just as the siren sounded to cap off a good solid win for the reigning premiers and a brave effort by the home side.
YOUNG STARS
Gisborne's John O'Rourke picked up 17 disposals and was named second best for Victoria Metro in round four of the AFL Under 18 Championships on Friday. O'Rourke started in the middle and kicked a match-winning goal in the final term during the 15-point win over Vic Country. Macedon's Matt Dick started at full-back and gathered eight touches and four tackles in a great performance. The boys take on Western Australia at Etihad Stadium tomorrow night from 5.30pm.
RADIO
Tune in to 100.7 Highlands FM and 88.1FM this Sunday from 1.30pm for the live and exclusive action between Riddell and Sunbury Kangaroos at Riddell Reserve. This will be a blockbuster games between two quality sides in a stand-alone game for the RDFL fixture as part of its split round for round 13.
Chris Yeend
Last Modified on 03/07/2012 12:55