By ADEM SARICAOGLU
IT WAS a happy Easter for the Western Jets on Sunday after they withstood a fast-finishing Northern Knights outfit at Visy Park.
The Jets responded well to their 23-point loss against the Dragons seven days earlier and produced a solid four-quarter performance despite a late Northern comeback that almost turned the game.
Good kicking in the first half ensured the Jets a good start to the game, managing to maintain a two-goal buffer throughout. Four goals straight to Northern’s 3.4 in the second term had the Jets up by 11 points at the main break.
Two goals in the first six minutes of the third quarter suddenly handed the Jets 25-point lead before Mitchell Norton nailed one of his three goals to extend it to 31.
However two majors to Jesse Tardio the other way kept the Knights in the game and by three-quarter time the margin was cut down to three straight kicks.
As light rain began showering Visy Park the Knights continued to improve and the Jets took a hit when ruckman and playmaker Mark Orr limped off with severe cramp.
Centre clearances became the crucial indicator of the last quarter’s shifting momentum as the Knights began getting on top.
Consecutive goals to Liam Hunt, Hugh Curnow and Josh Turner brought Northern within a point as the final term ticked into time-on.
Both clubs then traded blows in a frantic finish before star Jet Jake Greiser snuck home the winner along the ground in the shadows of the final bell, securing a stirring seven-point win, the first of the year for the Jets. After the game Jets coach Torin Baker ensured Orr’s problem was nothing more than cramp.
“We would have loved to put him back into the ruck in the last quarter but we just knew he was limited with his movement,” Baker said.“We just had to play him deep forward in the last quarter.”
Baker also noted the contribution of some of his midfielders when the game was on the line.
“I thought Jake Greiser’s last quarter was fantastic and I thought Omar Abou-Zeid, when everyone was probably stopping at the end of the game, was still running at the end of the game,” he said.
“A couple of players in some clutch moments (did) some really important things for us.
“Daniel Burton had a really big workload for the day and his effort in the ruck, to do what he did, was really commendable.
“I thought Corey Ellis, playing only his second game of (TAC Cup) footy, just showed a lot of composure down back with the footy.”
Pele Manivong and Norton each nailed three goals while Omar Abou-Zeid (two goals) and James Sicily were also impressive.
The Jets will face the Calder Cannons this Sunday.
