The Batemans Bay Seahawks arrested a two-game slump on the weekend with a 23-point victory over the Molonglo Juggernauts at Hanging Rock Oval.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Seahawks jumped out of the blocks with three unanswered goals in the first quarter, and kept Molonglo at arm's length the rest of the way to record an 8.8 (56) to 5.3 (33) win.
Jarrod Thompson kicked two goals for the home side, while Jeremy McDonogh and Simon McPherson both kicked a pair for Molonglo.
Coach Mick Kenny said the win was particularly pleasing given the results of the past fortnight.
"We had five guys out that are probably permanent first graders, and I went off in the first quarter," he said. "Our backs were against the wall, but the boys responded really well.
"Right from the outset we looked like a side that wasn't going to get beaten on the day."
"I could tell we'd turned a corner after the match against ADFA. The boys were willing to put their bodies on the line and play for each other."
The Seahawks managed to grind out a win in a low scoring contest, a far cry from their previous two wins this season.
"It was one of those games where contested footy was important, and we had some chances in the last quarter to really open them up," Kenny said. "We had plenty of ball in the second half, we just didn't make the most of it.
"We were lucky enough to get enough opportunities to kick a winning score.
"That was our best game of the year so far. The way we played over the weekend was a lot different to how we played against Molonglo last time.
"That comes back to how hard the boys have been working at training, and the younger guys are starting to feel more comfortable in first grade now."
The Seahawks now face Googong away, and have a chance to gain some ground on the top four before a tough upcoming schedule.
"We talked about the effort and hard work against ADFA, and how that would be a platform for us to build off," Kenny said. "We've got to put in a good performance against Googong on Saturday, and we'll be in a good position before the bye.
"We're pretty lucky this year in that we get ANU and ADFA at home to finish off the year. We've still got Woden twice, and Molonglo away one more time.
"I think we're in a really good position, and now it's about stringing a few wins together. If we can come out with a good performance against Woden after the bye, it'll be good for us going forward."
Batemans Bay 8.8 (56) (Goals: J Thompson 2, B Gleeson, R Lee, W Aiken, R Hummel, B Kauffman, K O'Malley; Best: G Enright, L Dudley, W Aiken, S Millynn, B Gleeson) def. Molonglo 5.3 (33) (Goals: J McDonogh 2, S McPherson 2, G Robertson; Best: T Catlin, S Trevillian, R Davis, S McPherson, J McDonogh, S Maloney).
In the earlier games, the Seahawks' women fell short of Molonglo 4.5 (29) to 3.8 (26), while the reserves had a crushing 14.9 (93) to 6.1 (37) win over Molonglo.