Sport
Numurkah rallies to defeat Deniliquin after Sean Harrap’s three-quarter time wake-up call
There was no water gun used, but Numurkah coach Sean Harrap was forced to deliver an almighty spray during his three-quarter time address at the weekend.
His side had just shipped five goals in a quarter to Deniliquin, watched a 24-point buffer vanish into thin air and was in serious danger of facing a near one-and-a-half hour drive home with nothing to show.
However, Harrap’s diffusing speech turned out to be the trick as the Blues dug out some much needed composure in the last, holding on for a 10.9 (69) to 9.11 (65) triumph.
“It was a bit too close to be honest; it’s always a danger game heading up there, particularly when you’re probably expected to win from the ladder positions,” Harrap said.
“We started the game well, at half-time we were in control, but after half-time they got in first for the footy and wanted it a bit more than we did.
“It was a bit of a wake-up call, they held a bit of a lead at the last break, so they got a bit of a squirt at three-quarter time.
“There’s been a lot of positive moments where we’ve been heading in games and been able to fight back and get over the line, so it was another example of that.
“It was probably disappointing that we let them back, but a lot of good learnings to come out of it nonetheless.”
Learning to settle the nerves is a vital takeaway for Numurkah in the wake of the four-point win, just as important as knowing a game is never won until the final siren.
The Blues held court over the Rams in the first half, constructing a 14-point lead by quarter-time and began to pull away from the home side as time went by.
But an almighty scare was to follow.
Deniliquin, buoyed by the fans, kicked a commanding 5.2 after half-time and outplayed Numurkah through the middle of the ground as Tom McCallum took charge.
The Rams were up by two points approaching the final quarter, but the words of Harrap inspired his Blues to not buy into the drama, calm the play down and finish off the job.
“We had little moments in that last quarter where we just composed the ball, made them defend for a period of time and took our opportunities when we got them,” Harrap said.
“It’s always tough up there, the crowd always gets behind them, and they probably played a lot better than what their ladder position suggests.
“To get away with the win is the positive about it ― you want to head up there, do the job and get out of there.”
Josh Evans kicked four in the winning side and Angus Durnan had five for the Rams, while the games of Numurkah’s Travis Down and Trent Baker were appreciated by Harrap.
The Blues now switch their gaze to a grudge match against Nathalia, which throttled Rumbalara 21.13 (205) 5.2 (32).
Liam Evans finished with an eye-popping 17 majors, overtaking Mulwala’s Jack Sutherland on the goal-kicking charts as the Lions’ forward slotted three during a 98-point win at Barooga.
Elsewhere, Finley ousted Echuca United 14.10 (94) to 10.9 (69), Moama produced a six-goal triumph over Tongala and Cobram cemented its holding inside the finals chase, beating Tocumwal 23.9 (147) to 9.2 (56).