By Mark Murray
THE Western Jets kept the pressure on Calder Cannons for a top-two finish with an important 44-point victory over North Ballarat Rebels on Sunday.
The Cannons moved a game clear in second spot on Saturday following a gutsy win over Bendigo at Coburg, and were waiting with anticipation to learn the result of the Jets match the following day.
An upset win to the Rebels would have seen Calder move a game clear in second spot, but the Jets ensured the run to the finals remained an interesting sidelight.
“They’re all important (games) at the moment,” Western Jets region manager Shane Sexton said.
“We’re not worrying too much about where we are on the ladder and who’s around us, but every game from now until the end of the year is pretty critical.
“We’ve just got to keep concentrating on playing the way we want to and hopefully that will ensure the results look after themselves.
“We were pretty happy to get the points away from home on Sunday.”
The Jets’ clash with the Rebels was shifted to Ararat, and they enjoyed the big ground and relatively dry conditions.
Nathan Black, who suffered broken ribs earlier in the season, returned to top form while Justin Palmer was influential in attack with five goals.
Mitchell Banner continued his outstanding form while Jacob Graham, Jarrod Clark and Jordan Robbins were all among the better performers for the Jets in the comfortable win over the Rebels.
The victory was even more credible given Victorian Metro representatives Will Sullivan and Callan Ward did not play.
“We had a pretty even spread of contributors, which is something we have tried to have all year,” Sexton said.
“I think it’s important to try and have that each week, regardless of who’s playing or not, and we still have a few boys to come back into the side.”
Ward is waiting for results on his injured knee.
He is critical to the Jets’ finals aspirations and is already being touted as a draft hopeful.
“We’re not really sure how bad his knee is or what he has done, so we don’t want to speculate yet,” Sexton said.
The Jets have another big match against the fifth-placed Northern Knights at Burbank Oval on Saturday.
