By ADEM SARICAOGLU
MELTON South scored a stirring 23-point win over Bacchus Marsh in a hard-fought and, at times, spiteful clash in the Ballarat Football League on Saturday night.
The Panthers punished the Cobras for their inaccurate first quarter and went on to lead at every change after kicking 4.4 to Marsh’s 0.7 in the opening term.
Despite the loss, Cobras coach Doug Hawkins remained upbeat after the game.
“I thought the boys were pretty good,” Hawkins said.
“I thought their attack on the footy was terrific. The pressure they applied all night was good.
“But when you come in at quarter time, (with) seven points and no goals – you’re playing catch-up footy for the rest of the game.”
Their cause wasn’t helped early in the piece when full forward Adam Skrobalak pulled up with a hamstring injury that kept him out of the game.
Hawkins didn’t want to make excuses, but acknowledged losing Skrobalak so early in the game did prove costly.
“If we had him in that goal square as the game unfolded, he had to potential to kick four or five goals for us with the way we got the ball inside 50 and long,” Hawkins said.
“We just lacked that focal point, and that does chuck your whole structure out.”
At the other end, Melton South coach Mathew Sutton proved to be that focal point Bacchus Marsh so desperately lacked, ending up with four goals for the night.
Sutton noted scoreboard pressure as a key factor in the game.
“Scoreboard pressure’s a big thing in footy in any game,” he said.
“They peppered them early and then we converted, so that’s always going to hurt.”
In a tense third quarter, with Melton South slowly kicking away on the scoreboard, an incident at centre-half forward threatened to mar the game.
Cobra Abraham Kur appeared to collect South’s Doug Thomas with a raised foot in marking contest.
Thomas was then sent off moments later after retaliating, though it’s not yet clear why.
Both coaches were reluctant to make comment, but it is likely the league will access the footage during the week.
Sutton, however, did go in to bat for Thomas when asked about the incident.
“I’ve played at VFL level with Doug Thomas and (that) is not in his nature,” Sutton said.
“It’s completely out of nature if he has been done for striking.”
