By Tyler Lewis
Vermont: tick.
Noble Park coach Steve Hughes is big on themes of the week and after dismantling Vermont in round three he urged to his players to answer the big question.
Was that performance an abnormality?
Despite a slow start, the Bulls answered their coach’s question in commanding fashion on Saturday, overrunning the Eagles on their home patch, 12.19 (91) to 7.6 (48).
The Bulls were tested, leading by less than a kick at the end of both the first and second quarters, which ultimately led to Hughes doing something he has done only once before – tag.
“I think we sustained what we were already doing,” he said of what changed in the second half.
“I thought our pressure was excellent, it’s a small ground Vermont, I thought we were good all day to be honest, from minute one all the way through.
“Vermont possibly dropped off a bit with their ability to absorb that, I think our pressure was sustained and we were able to break them down.
“They’re quite young, they have a lot of players out, they came with real energy and enthusiasm and we were able to grind them down and the game opened up for us in the second half.
“That combined with putting Ant Marson onto Lachie Johns, he was carving us up for the first half, I wouldn’t say he completely blanketed him, but he nullified him and probably took his impact out of the game.”
With a midfield as deep as any other in the competition, Hughes explained why he chose Marson as his weapon of choice.
“I have tagged twice in the best part of two years, one was Tom Maloney out at Norwood about a year ago and we gave Ant the job (that day as well),” he said.
“It’s interesting… guys that you trust to tag are typically honest, hard-working, disciplined, very coachable and Ant ticks all of those boxes.
“He is that type that is very selfless, I think you need to be when you’re going to be a tagger, or given that job, I guess to forget about your own game and lock down on a really good player.
“He did a really good job on Tommy Maloney and that obviously builds trust, so he is I guess our go-to when we need to shut down a player.
“Not that we want to do it every week, but when the game ebbs and flows, we know we have Ant to help us with those jobs.”
The Bulls – like most clubs – have had a horror run against Vermont, but with two wins against the Eagles in 2022, Hughes admits his side is starting to build confidence ahead of a big finish to the year.
“From a coaching perspective, you do look for themes most weeks, just to keep the group up and our theme this week was whether round three was a flash in the pan,” he said.
“As well as making a new identity for us as a club, you know Vermont have bashed us up, like they have bashed a lot of club’s up for the best part of a decade.
“So, we wanted to really stand up and get the two wins, we’re not sure whether we will or won’t see them again this year, but I guess it’s a box ticked and a goal as a group.
“The confidence is definitely building, but we also have a lot of room for improvement.”
For Rowville, meanwhile, Hawks coach Ben Wise still believes opposition clubs are expecting his side to crash and burn.
“It’s funny, people are still waiting for us to stumble a little bit… for some reason 10-1 hasn’t given us the confidence of everyone on the outside,” he said.
The Hawks boosted to that 10-1 record on Saturday, after overpowering Blackburn 11.13 (79) to 6.12 (48).
The win came courtesy of midfield dominance and a standout performance from Nik Schoenmakers.
“Our biggest challenge coming into the back end of the year is to win the games we’re supposed to,” Wise said.
“Blackburn has been in pretty good form and we did our homework, they were really strong in the contest, so we just thought we had to match them on the inside, and we thought we had enough on the outside to put them under pressure.
“It was just a matter of getting ascendency through the middle of the ground and playing our way, building momentum and continuing to play the way we want through the back end of the year.”
By claiming victory over Blackburn, and Noble Park simultaneously defeating Vermont, the Hawks now sit 20 points clear inside the top-six.
But Wise isn’t motivating his group with a mathematical finals berth, but instead with the expectation of themselves each week.
“We haven’t spoken about it, I guess,” he said.
“If you look where we’re positioned, it’s the expectation of us as a group now, we obviously set out to give ourselves the opportunity to play at the pointy end and at the moment we’re doing what we need to do.
“I am sure some of the boys are thinking about it, it’s one week at a time for me, I just know that as soon you think about finals and what’s ahead, you lose what’s important and that’s the now.”
With the pointy end of the season beginning for the Hawks, Wise reflected on what his side has taught him so far this season.
“I have learned plenty of things,” he said.
“They have been such a diligent group with the messaging that has been coming from me and the coaching staff.
“They’ve been really willing to learn and respond, especially if we do get put under pressure, or we aren’t doing something well.
“The maturity of the group to be able to notice what’s been going wrong, adapt and change it has been the biggest one.
“The growth from round one to now, and we are still so far from where we want to be – that’s the exciting part.”
After three promising performances, it was a disappointing day for Berwick on Saturday.
Flag-fancies Doncaster East was always going to be a litmus test for the Wickers, but it was the fashion in which they suffered defeat that would’ve disappointed coach Clint Evans.
The Wickers failed to make an impact on the scoreboard, kicking its solitary goal – courtesy of Ashton Williamson – in the final term.
The Lions cemented the 11.16 (82) to 1.6 (12) victory in the third term, when they kept the home side scoreless and booted five majors themselves.
Although a disappointing performance, the Wickers have a brilliant opportunity to bounce back this week when it travels to Doncaster.
In other matches; South Croydon defeated Norwood 13.13 (91) to 7.8 (50), Park Orchards belted North Ringwood 17.12 (114) to 12.6 (78) and Balwyn did as it needed too against Doncaster 13.13 (91) to 10.9 (69).
LADDER: Rowville 40, Noble Park 36, Balwyn 32, Doncaster East 28, South Croydon 28, Blackburn 22, Park Orchards 20, Vermont 20, Norwood 16, Doncaster 12, Berwick 10, North Ringwood 0.
FIXTURE: Balwyn v Blackburn, South Croydon v Rowville, Park Orchards v Noble Park, Norwood v Vermont, Doncaster v Berwick, Doncaster East v North Ringwood.
