A four-goal final term was enough to gift Mansfield its first win of the Goulburn Valley League season as it held off a spirited and gallant Tatura by 10 points on Saturday.
Down by four points at the final break, Mansfield rallied late to boot four of the final six goals of the game to seal a gritty 8.9 (57) to 7.5 (47) win.
The Eagles’ two key forwards, Cam Arnold and Ben Christopher, booted three goals each in a low-scoring affair at Tatura Park in overcast and slippery conditions, while on-baller Lachlan Murphy-Dale was superb through the midfield.
Tatura looked to have pencilled in a contender for upset of the season with a slim margin to start the fourth term, but Arnold and Christopher gave Mansfield its biggest lead of the game with back-to-back goals.
The home crowd and players dared to dream halfway through the last term when key tall Harley McCarthy booted his third of the match to bring the game within three points.
Mansfield — without star defender Jack Hutchins and on-ballers Brett Mahoney and Frazer Dale — did enough to win despite not playing “anywhere near their best” — something that coach Chad Owens was pleased with in the wash-up.
“We’ll gladly take the four points,” Owens said.
“We have got a fairly different side from last year, so the boys are still learning how everyone plays and just understanding each other which we know is going to take time.
“We’re still nowhere near where we would like to be. I thought Tat played really well. They were super disciplined and their effort was high. Realistically they were the better team on the day, but they just lacked a few key targets which hurt them.
“We were gritty and found a way to win which I thought was pleasing and got the fundamentals right in that last quarter.”
Image 1 of 8
Pumped: Tatura's Will Russell celebrates a goal. Photo by Aydin PayneImage 2 of 8
Happy days: Mansfield's Ben Christopher booted three goals. Photo by Aydin PayneImage 3 of 8
In the zone: Tatura's Xavier Hutchison. Photo by Aydin PayneImage 4 of 8
Get around him: Tatura's Harley McCarthy. Photo by Aydin PayneImage 5 of 8
Air time: Tatura's Andrew Ciavarella. Photo by Aydin PayneImage 6 of 8
Quick hands: Tatura's Jimmy Bennett. Photo by Aydin PayneImage 7 of 8
Give and go: Tatura's Chris Ryan. Photo by Aydin PayneImage 8 of 8
First use: Mansfield's Tom McDonagh rises high. Photo by Aydin PayneThere was plenty to like from the hosts, who were bouncing back from a 98-point defeat in round one, with a host of new faces showcasing their talents.
Off-season recruits Ethan Penrith, McCarthy, Brodie Meyers and Beau O’Connell were Tat’s top performers in the narrow loss.
Penrith broke the lines well from defence and along with O’Connell, their speed gave the Bulldogs some firepower across the ground.
McCarthy battled hard and presented across the half-forward line with three majors, while on-baller Meyers impressed as did defender Michael Archer.
Gun midfielder Billy Cooper missed the contest through VFL commitments after he was a late call-up on Friday for Richmond.
Tatura’s ability to keep possession of the ball through uncontested marking and switches stood out, as the Bulldogs continue to build on the game plan implemented by first-year coach and experienced mentor Paul Barnard.
“It was a much better effort in relation to a week-by-week basis,” Barnard said.
“The boys played with more freedom and although we didn’t win they made some in-road on their development. I was proud of how they competed ... it was certainly an arm-wrestle and it could have gone either way.”
Talented midfielder Jimmy Bennett looked to have picked up a shoulder injury, while young gun Harry Murdoch dislocated his shoulder during the second term, but played out the remainder of the match.
Barnard expected Murdoch to be fit for this week’s trip to Benalla, while Bennett would need to get scans.
“(Jimmy) will get an assessment over the next 24 hours. He’ll get some scans and we’ll find out the damage,” he said.