Going into Saturday’s Goulburn Valley League round 13 clash at Euroa Memorial Oval, it felt like this was destined to be a memorable affair.
Boy, were this humble writer’s assertions that Euroa and Kyabram’s meeting on Saturday had high potential fast becoming a laughing stock after a half of football.
Simply put, there could have been nothing further from the truth, with the Magpies thoroughly savaging their visiting foes from the off and sure to have been even more than 38 points up at the long break if not for a couple of gettable chances spurned.
The home side struck first, of course, courtesy of a long bomb from big man Fletcher Paul.
Before Corey Carver’s side knew what hit it, the margin was out to 19 points as Jack McKernan began what would become a busy day up forward.
Anthony Depasquale provided the ever-reliable response from short range, but Euroa was in control on and behind the ball as Jack Frewen’s improbable snap summed up Kyabram’s poor fortunes.
Well-beaten around the contests, it only got harder in the interim for last year’s runner-up once livewire Jett Trotter got going with a pair of snags early in the second term.
Even coach Ryan Pendlebury, who had produced only six majors throughout his tenure in the black and white, got on the end of one as the margin pushed beyond five goals.
There had clearly been a fair old spray for the red and black contingent at the main break, and a rejuvenated and galvanised Kyabram side duly went about making amends.
Brad Mangan became the primary outlet as the visiting fans found their voice for the first time all afternoon, with all four of his majors coming in a surging second half.
Quick bursts of potentially game-changing football have so often delighted — or, on the other side of the coin, frustrated, given their repeated close defeats — Kyabram fans and coaching staff alike, but there was at least hope as the third-quarter flurry rolled on.
Having closed to within a single-figure buffer, McKernan steadied the ship alongside Tristan Davies, who scrambled through the match-winner in the classic previous meeting between these sides.
McKernan’s fourth and game-high fifth of the day could not have come at a better time than the first 10 minutes of the final term as Euroa appeared, for the time being, to ice the contest once more.
There was a dominant force up the other end continuing to ask questions, however, as Mangan whipped up two goals in a minute — more than a touch pleased with his dribble from the boundary before a big mark and set shot moments later.
Andrew Bell stood up when needed, though, taking the final hopes away from Kyabram at last to ensure Euroa notched a crucial eighth win, 14.13 (97) to 12.9 (81).
Pendlebury recognised the looming threat, but paid tribute to his side’s capacity to hold firm against the tide.
“We touched on the fact they played last Sunday while we had the bye, so we wanted to start early and jump them,” Pendlebury said.
“We thought we had the fresh legs to run over the top of them, but we lost a couple of blokes in the third term and after that, (Kyabram) had a bit more run going.
“It was just good and a credit to us that we held on and didn’t crumble.
“It looked like we got them early in the final term, but we missed a couple of relatively simple opportunities which we’d usually probably kick, but to our credit, we got up and slotted one more to put them away.
“I thought we did really well in that last quarter.”
Following the Shepparton Swans’ victory over Mansfield, the competition’s middle four sides switch dance partners as Euroa tangles with the still-alive red and white on home soil this weekend.
“(The Swans) started the season really well, but weren’t getting the reward,” Pendlebury said.
“I think they’re better than their ladder record suggests, but finals will be well within our sights if we win that, so it’s a massive game next week.”
On the losing end, it felt like an ever-frustrating case of ‘more of the same’ for Bombers boss Carver after two different breakneck scoring bursts proved just shy of enough.
“The first half was terrible. There was no intensity, and we didn’t play our game at all,” Carver said.
“There was some restructuring where guys played the role we wanted them to, and from there we got going in the second half.
“That’s just been our year, basically. We’re not playing for long enough, which is hurting us big-time.
“Mansfield played really well against us earlier in the season, so we know we’re going to have to bring it for a lot longer.”