By Tricia Mifsud
WALLAN sits atop the Riddell District Football senior football ladder after handing Lancefield a 93-point thrashing on Saturday.
Playing at Lancefield, Wallan was able to play on its terms from the beginning.
The Magpies have been used to playing away this season, with only one home game to date due works at Greenhill Recreation Reserve.
Despite a goalless first term, Lancefield trailed by only 19 points, before it allowed Wallan to kick away to a dominant 141-48 win.
The win gives Wallan a percentage just shy of 300, which could come in handy when deciding the makeup of the finals, as the remaining top four sides – Diggers Rest, Riddell and Woodend-Hesket – could potentially steal top honours.
Magpies assistant coach Spencer Mathieson didn’t have much to say about his side’s impressive win, other than that the players played exactly the way they trained to.
“All the boys did what they had to do and did it really well. I praise their efforts for the team performance they again put in,” he said.
“Across the ground, everyone contributed to the win, and from the second quarter particularly, we played the way we wanted to play.”
Going into the main break, Wallan led 66-22, giving the home side a tough task in the second half, which it was unable to match.
A seven-goal final term by the Magpies to the Tigers’ one goal cemented the visitors’ fourth win of the season.\
“We restricted Lancefield in front of goal, and our final term is really what made the difference [on the scoreboard]. The back line held strong and made it tough for Lancefield,” Mathieson said.
“Around the ground it was a true team performance.”
Midfielder Sean Morris had a day out in front of goal, booting five, while Matthew Perri matched the effort with five of his own and Corey Grindlay added a further three.
Mathieson said Steven Boyall, two goals, Jake Layley and Lachlan Inness, one each, were critical players in Wallan’s win, stepping up as required to lead their side.
The assistant coach also commended the efforts of Lancefield, saying the score didn’t reflect the way the game was played.
“When you look at the score, it didn’t reflect at all the performance of Lancefield. They are a really good side, it just didn’t go their way,” he said.
Wallan will host bottom-of-the-ladder Western Rams on Saturday. Mathieson encouraged the Wallan community to head along to Greenhill Reserve to support the club at its second home game.
Lancefield has a tough challenge facing Riddell, the only other team with four wins this season, while Romsey faces Macedon.
