By Nick Creely
Much like every other side in the competition, these winter months can be the hardest from week to week.
With the cold and wet conditions setting in and the fatigue of a long season starting to have an impact, it’s when the good sides – the ones who intend to still be standing on the final day of the season – can truly separate themselves from the pack and set up a launch towards a premiership.
For Pakenham, while not every little thing is going right – they have some players missing and are still figuring out what their best football looks like – they continue to find ways to win, and now sit 6-1 and two games clear in second after brushing aside Warburton Millgrove at home on Saturday, 18.19 (127) to 6.8 (44).
Lions coach Ash Green admitted as much – his side is battered and bruised – but understand just how vital these months of the season really are.
“I speak to my boys about it a lot, I believe that June and July is the hardest part of the year, it’s cold, it’s wet and the guys have a lot of niggles in the body,” he said.
“But if you get more wins than losses in those two months, it really sets you up for the back half of the year.
“We’ve had some sore boys like all sides, and we’re managing them, but I always say, we’ve got a lot of room for improvement.
“We’re not playing our best football, and we can continue to work on our structures, and keep implementing our game style every week.”
The Lions – on an important day for the football club with the Big Freeze dedicated to raising funds for MND – were simply a class above the Burras, who battled manfully but didn’t have the leg speed, or energy, to topple the home side.
With some new faces introduced into the line-up, the Lions took some time settling with the Burras throwing everything at them, but Green’s side held sway with an eight-point quarter time lead.
But, with its range of options in attack, the Lions forged ahead, kicking 15 goals to four after quarter time to enjoy its most impressive scoring display in two years.
The only blemish in an otherwise solid display was a 2.10 last term, with a 100-point win almost a certainty if they had made the most of their chances late in the game.
Green was pleased to walk away with the four points, and the chance to blood some youth and get a look at the depth, something that is a priority for the club.
“One thing we took into the game, we had a lot of our better players out, and we were able to give Rhys Clacy a debut out of the 18s, so I’m mindful of developing the guys,” he said.
“We have some good kids running around at the moment, so we want to expose them at some stage this year as well.”
The Lions are as unpredictable as any side in the competition in attack, with their leading goal kicker being just 10 through Matt Ryan, but have six players averaging at least a goal per game, and a bunch of others nearing that average.
“Our goal – like any side – is to kick 15 goals, and 100 points a game, that’ll almost guarantee you more wins than losses, and in the last game against Belgrave we got over that mark too,” Green said of his forward line.
“It was pleasing to have 10 individual goal kickers – we threw Josh Tynan forward on the weekend, and he was our highest goal scorer in a game this season with five, but the way we set up, we have a lot of guys go through the forward line.
“We’re mindful every week of trying to kick a winning score, and we can, but we want to also nullify the opposition as best to our ability as well.”
On another terrific day for the Lions, Tynan was outstanding with five majors, while Kane Tyrrell, Stephen Morey, Jeconiah Peni and Ryan had a major impact on the contest.
With an away clash against Emerald on Saturday – a massive opportunity to try and bridge the gap on Monbulk at the top – Green said right now it was just about finding the right balance and mix moving forward.
“You can’t have a settled side every week, and that’s because of injury and whatnot – off the top of my head, we’ve had 31 players play this year in seven games, and when you’ve got a young side, it can take a little while to get an understanding,” he said.
“We’re mindful that the guys that play for Pakenham every week play to their best of their ability and stick to the structures. Hopefully that brings more wins than losses.”
In the other match played in the split round on Saturday, Officer travelled down to Emerald and taught the Bombers a harsh lesson, 22.15 (147) to 10.5 (65).
In the Kangaroos’ fourth straight win, they controlled the match from the outset, but couldn’t quite put the home side away with 11 scoring shots in the opening term, but only a 17-point lead.
With Matthew Clarke and Will Hanson – who eventually combined for 11 goals between them – running amok, the Kangaroos were at their blistering best in the second term, kicking eight goals and opening up a 10 goal lead, showcasing its superb run and carry and precise foot skills to cut the Bombers to shreds.
While the Kangaroos could have easily taken the foot off, they continued to take the game on and forge ahead with a major percentage booster in mind, adding a further 10 goals after half time, with the Bombers – to their credit – fighting back with seven goals of their own in the second half.
Finally getting some reward after an outstanding season to date, Kangaroos skipper Clarke filled his boots with six majors and is playing some consistent football, Will Hanson showed some signs he’s going to be a serious player with five, while a Division 1 league best and fairest smoky, Tyler Clark, was once again superb through the midfield.
The win leaves the Kangaroos in fourth with a 4-3 record on percentage, and will be looking to further advance its season with a blockbuster at home on Saturday against Doveton, who sits in fifth spot with a similar 4-3 record.
Back on 8 June, at the start of the round, Monbulk held off Doveton, 7.16 (58) to 7.8 (50) to remain undefeated, while Mount Evelyn thrashed Belgrave, 24.23 (167) to 8.7 (55).
