Shepparton Swans had everything to play for on Saturday afternoon during their round 16 Goulburn Valley League fixture against Shepparton United at Deakin Reserve, as finals remained a possibility.
However, the Demons were eager to put a line through their cross-town rival’s season by causing an upset victory on their home deck.
United had a game plan heading into Saturday’s match to flood its backline and make it as hard as possible for the Swans to move the ball cleanly or quickly.
This strategy worked well in the first term, with the Demons holding the upper hand at quarter-time as the score sat on 28-20.
Demons’ Joel Serra booted two goals in the opening term (three for the match) as United looked to secure its third win of the season.
The second term remained an arm wrestle, with the Swans cutting the margin to four points at half-time.
Inaccuracy hurt the Swans in the second quarter, as they booted 3.7.
United did well to hold off the Swans’ run and carry for the first two quarters, but after the main break, its opponents came bursting out of the blocks in a dominant display.
The Swans had 12 shots on goal (8.4) in the third term alone as they built their lead to a match-winning 33-point margin at the last change of end.
Shepparton Swans’ dynamic duo Matt Perry and Steele Simpson kicked four goals apiece for the match.
Swans coach Jedd Wright said he was impressed with how his forwards found goals in such a congested game.
“(Perry and Simpson) probably did it the hard way this week,” Wright said.
“With United flooding back into our forward 50, it was really hard to get clean entries.
“They both worked really hard for their goals.
“The smalls worked really hard as well to make sure they were front and centre to mop up any crumbs.”
Meanwhile, Serra and vice-captain Ed Adams were the top contributors for the Demons, each with three goals.
In the final term, United clawed back some momentum and finished the game strong, kicking four goals straight for the quarter.
However, the damage done by the Swans in that explosive third term was too much to overcome as the away team claimed the victory.
The final score was 13.10 (88) to 16.16 (112).
After a tight first half, Wright asked his players for more composure during his half-time address.
“(United) really made it a congested game in that first half and we struggled to get our running game going,” he said.
“We were kicking long a lot, which suited them, so we shortened up our skills.
“We probably had a bit more composure with the ball (in the third quarter).
“We were overly eager to move the ball quick, so once we managed to get the game on our tempo, we managed to get on top.”
The Swans may have ticked over the 100-point mark thanks to the work of their forwards, but Wright was more focused on how his defenders performed.
“I thought our backline as a whole were really fantastic,” he said.
“Andrew Riordan, Luke Davies and Zac Clohesy, I thought, were fantastic in that backline.
“They were well supported by the others.
“On ball, Zac Alderton was pretty good again, which was pleasing.”
Wright’s side has had a well-documented year, headlined by an exciting rise, but filled with some heart-wrenching results.
With two rounds left in the home and away season, the Swans sit one win outside the top six and need Euroa to drop at least one of its next two matches against Benalla and Mansfield.
Should the Magpies lose one of those two matches, standing in the Swans’ way of a finals berth is the toughest two weeks in Goulburn Valley League football: Shepparton and Echuca.
However, Wright said his side was excited about the challenge that lies ahead.
“We are pumped heading into next week,” he said.
“Shepp and Shepp United are games where it doesn’t matter where we are on the ladder; they are always big games.
“We will throw everything into next week.”