Just after 4pm on Saturday afternoon, the scoreboard at Princess Park had many Goulburn Valley League followers questioning the away side’s premiership credentials.
Rochester, on the fringe of securing a finals spot, was trailing eighth-placed Shepparton Swans by three goals.
The Tigers had been down all day to the home side and struggled to get the contest in their favour.
However, Rochester walked off the oval 30 minutes later with not only the win under its belt, but with more backers that it can do damage in September.
The visitor’s intensity and pressure lifted after three-quarter time and thanks to GVL Data we can highlight which areas of their game went up another level.
Rochester laid more tackles in the last quarter than what it did in the first half of action.
The midfield contingent, led by Mitch Cricelli and Shaun and Joe Atley, got the upper hand with 11 clearances to three.
Rochester playing coach Steven Stroobants said theb Tigers’ pressure “just wasn’t there early” and once they got that fixed they “were able to get on top”.
Another facet of Rochester’s game which was impressive in the last term was its ability to score from inside 50 entries.
The Tigers scored 73 per cent of the time when the ball went forward and got the ball in the hands of damaging forwards Stroobants and Hugh Hamilton.
With its backs against the wall, Rochester displayed that it’s able to reach another level when the going gets tough which will no doubt hold the Tigers in good stead come September.
Rochester’s fourth-quarter brilliance
Goals: 5
Inside 50s: 11
Scores inside 50: 73%
Tackles: 17
Clearances: 11
Disposals
Shepparton Swans: 295
Rochester: 277
Marks
Shepparton Swans: 69
Rochester: 73
Inside 50s
Shepparton Swans: 35
Rochester: 48
Tackles
Shepparton Swans: 44
Rochester: 40
Clearances
Shepparton Swans: 22
Rochester: 35