Girgarre boys are happy, as happy as can be.
Those words could be heard at high decibel range at Tallygaroopna on Saturday as the Roos, previously without a win, congregated in the away rooms for an almighty rendition of their club song.
Coach Brendan Baumann conceded some of his players likely did not know the words beforehand, but rest assured, that will not be an issue going forward.
The belief instilled in Girgarre after the side rallied to reap a 10.7 (67) to 5.6 (36) result on the road was remarkable, and was a great weight lifted off the shoulders of the men in blue and white who’ve worked without reward for the entire season.
“I think it was a reward for the players,” Baumann said.
“There was a large turnover of players from last year and then for myself to take over three weeks out from the start of the year, it always proves a challenge.
“For the players I’m just more happy for them than anything.
“For that group of guys, predominantly young guys, that front up every Tuesday and Thursday night, to get a reward for a lot of their hard effort is really rewarding.”
Heading into the game against a 5-6 Tallygaroopna, it was always going to be an uphill battle for Girgarre early on.
Then came a light bulb moment.
A mismatch identified by Baumann had backman Josh Patmore swing up forward to provide a focal point, and from there the Roos could angle into dangerous spaces from efficient forward 50 entries and hit the scoreboard.
The visitors trailed at the opening break, but three goals in the second quarter had the quiet sense of belief begin bubbling to a head by half-time.
Girgarre pushed and pushed, with captain Nick Woods flying the flag in the guts alongside Ryan Butler and Todd Van Roy, while Ethan Palma-Ludeman capitalised on good service in and around the arc.
Baumann’s men were almost lulled into a false sense of security approaching the final term with a scoreboard error indicating they were three goals ahead instead of two, but it would not matter.
The Roos were not going to let this one slip.
Girgarre’s mentor spoke highly of his side’s ability to run out games, and that’s precisely what transpired as the travellers finished with a four-goal bang to close out the match.
But the side is not done yet, hoping to convert one win into two when meeting Longwood at home this coming Sunday.
“We’ll look to get back into training on Tuesday and Thursday and prepare for Sunday’s game and hopefully get a win at our home ground for our members and supporters that were unable to make the trek across on Saturday to Tally,” Baumann said.
“Like every footy club we do want to make our ground an uncomfortable place for opposition sides to come and play.
“We’ve got a really young group, and winning creates excitement, so I’m sure the boys are looking forward to it, if we can chalk two up in a row it would be fantastic.”
In the other game of the split round, Murchison-Toolamba joined Nagambie and Shepparton East at the top of the ladder following a 160-point thumping of Violet Town.
Leigh Wellington shone for the Hoppers, while James Lloyd and Michael Coad combined for 17 goals.