Cooper Hamilton is tackled by Kai Madgwick.
Photo by
Bruce Povey
Rochester has solidified its place inside the Goulburn Valley League top two with a commanding 51-point win over Mooroopna, shutting the visitor out for an entire half before cruising to a 12.18 (90) to 6.3 (39) victory at Moon Oval.
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After a bruising stretch of football that included clashes with Kyabram, Echuca, Seymour and Shepparton, the Tigers entered round 13 battered, but focused – and their defensive resolve set the tone early.
Rochester didn’t concede a single score in the opening half, leading 50-0 at the main break.
And, while the second half was a more even contest, coach Ash Watson was full of praise for his team’s discipline in the opening half.
“I guess that’s one of our strengths, our defensive end, and the first half I was really pleased with how we defended and put pressure on them coming back the other way,” Watson said.
“After half-time we let them get back into the game, so was a bit disappointed with the second half, but very happy with how we set up the first half.”
Mooroopna found a spark after the break, kicking four goals in the third quarter, slightly losing the second half 39-40.
But the damage had been well and truly done.
“Maybe just a mindset thing, we didn’t come out as intense as we did in the first half,” Watson said.
“Maybe we just thought it was going to happen. To Mooroopna’s credit they came out strong and put some pressure on us and got a few scores going back the other way.”
Rochester’s best included Wil Hamilton, Hamish Heine and Mitchell Trewhella among their standouts.
The Tigers should also welcome back several key contributors after their bye, after managing a heavy run through the fixture.
“We’ve played a lot of the top six sides in the last block of six weeks and won five, so we’re happy with that,” Watson said.
“Now we’ve got a few road trips – Euroa away, Mansfield away and then the Shepp Swans – so another tough one coming up.”
With a bye in the second half of the split round, Watson said the timing couldn’t be better.
“We had a few miss yesterday, so it’ll be good to have a bit of a break, freshen the bodies up and start planning for the next block of three.”
Next up is a trip to Euroa – a venue Watson knows will provide a test.
“We know they’re hard to beat at the best of times, but definitely down there, even harder,” he said.
“There’s some quality players in that side that we’ll definitely need to look at. But we’ll go away, have a bit of a refresh and then we’ll get back into planning next week and go from there.”
With five rounds remaining, Rochester remains firmly in the hunt for a top-two finish – and on the evidence of Saturday’s first half, is beginning to build at the right time.
Mitch Trewhella is tackled by Kai Madgwick.
Photo by
Bruce Povey
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Ben Hicks eludes Wil Hamilton.
Photo by
Bruce Povey
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A big mark by Ben Hicks.
Photo by
Bruce Povey
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Wil Hamilton marks ahead of Jack Osborne.
Photo by
Bruce Povey
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Ryley Issell spoils Kyle Waters.
Photo by
Bruce Povey
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Nash Ramage is put under pressure.
Photo by
Bruce Povey
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Alice Prigg, a Rochester supporter for 71 years, turned 99 on Sunday. She tossed the coin for captains Nathan McCarty and Ben Hicks before the game.
Photo by
Bruce Povey
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Sean Williams and James McPhee both played their 100th RFNC senior games today.
Photo by
Bruce Povey
