Euroa masters the elements over four quarters to beat Tatura in routine Goulburn Valley League win

Following an early scare, consistency was key for Ryan Pendlebury and co with a raft of head-turning individual efforts dotted among the landslide win.

Will Hayes racked up an absurd 53 disposals.

Tristan Davies and Silver Yousif dazzled with five goals apiece.

On the home front, a special moment transpired as Tatura 300-gamer Linc Wellington came out of retirement to help inspire his wounded Bulldogs teammates.

But it was Euroa to begin with a hiss and a roar in the rain, drilling three goals before the Bulldogs could even blink.

Yousif’s scrambled kick 20 seconds in sailed through the posts. It was followed by another Yousif major a minute later, then Jett Trotter finished off a slick handball chain with an over-the-shoulder hook from the pocket.

To Tatura’s credit, at 18-0 down in no time, giving in was not an option.

Despite Davies adding his first midway through the first quarter, Andrew Ciavarella put the hosts on the board with a dip that bounced high over Tom Garside’s flailing arms and through.

Cade Dealy cashed in not long after, booting his first senior goal with a dashing effort from 40m.

Then, Mitch Heywood’s kick brought Tatura back within eight points.

At that moment, the Bulldogs had every right to believe they could defeat Euroa on the smell of an oily rag and shelve the growing pains for the weekend, at least.

But fate did not have a fairytale ending cued for this one.

Pendlebury’s address at quarter-time seemed to shock Euroa back into action as the Magpies kicked another five goals in the second term to Tatura’s 2.0.

Heading into the third quarter and trailing by 38 points, the Bulldogs needed something big.

Truth be told, neither Tatura nor Euroa created sparks after the half, but the latter had something big in store for the fourth quarter, icing the game with a 6.6 effort, while holding Paul Barnard’s side scoreless for the first time all game.

Hayes’ 25 contested possessions, 10 tackles and nine clearances — paired with a goal — rightly had him named best afield, while Nathan Stewart, Davies and Yousif starred.

For the home side, Jacob Simpson (18 disposals, 15 contested) strung together yet another strong performance, while Andrew Ciavarella (25 touches) and Mitch Elliott (35 disposals) also impressed.