South Broken Hill Football Club got revenge for the round two nail-biting loss to West with a big victory on Saturday.
It was one-way traffic for the entire match as the home-side put on a big second half to send a serious statement to the rest of the league.
Both teams took some time to warm up to the match in sunny and slightly windy conditions at Alma Oval.
The tough-tackling Robins mounted on early pressure and registered a minor score.
However, it was South that took the early initiative from a set shot to score the game’s first major. It was shortly followed by a second.
West kept the pressure on and eventually kicked their first major from inside the goal square after being a awarded a freekick.
It was an even contest before South kicked another major to take a 12-point lead and control of the match.
The Roos converted a long-range effort just before the quarter time break to put themselves firmly in the driver’s seat.
Quarter time score
South – 4.3.(27)
West – 1.1 (7)
South coach, Darren Smith, was pleased with his side’s execution of the game plan.
“We always emphasise our pressure on the opposition team and create turnovers and opportunities for ourselves,” he said.
West had a fast start to the second quarter and scored their second major after a quick snap at goal inside their forward 50.
It was almost followed by second but a long-range effort missed the target. Both teams were eager to make it count on the scoreboard that saw an end-to-end game unfold.
South eventually added to their tally with two minors and it didn’t take long for them to register their fifth major following a shot inside 50.
The game was played predominantly in West’s back half that allowed South to add a couple of minors before half-time.
Half-time score
South – 5.7.(37)
West – 2.1.(13)
Coach Smith was happy with the way his players trained in the lead up to the match.
He said putting the game out of sight was the instructions given at the team talk during the main break.
“With a bit of a breeze we wanted to bust the game open,” Coach Smith said. “That’s the way it happened especially in the second half.”
That’s exactly how the third quarter played out. South picked up where they left off, controlling the possession in their forward half.
After four consecutive minors, they finally made their dominance count with a major to take a commanding 34-point lead.
The onslaught continued with several majors including a long-range effort that dribbled its way through the centre sticks. The Roos were in complete control.
Three quarter time score
South – 9.16.(70)
West – 2.2.(14)
The lights went on at Alma Oval as the temperature began to drop. The South players were still fired up and did not take their foot off the pedal.
West responded and put up a fight that got them on the board for a minor score. From there, it was all South, kicking four unanswered goals along with four minors.
“I thought West put up a good fight in the first half but in the end, all over the ground we had winners,” Coach Smith said. “I think the score reflected how good we were.”
The big win takes their percentage up to 169 and puts distance between second placed Central in the ladder.
Coach Smith said they will use this weekend’s bye to recharge for their clash with the Magpies on June 18.
“It will help us to freshen up,” he said. “We will reset for the next couple of weeks and look forward to the next game.”
Final score
South – 13.21.(99)
West – 2.4.(16)
