PORT Fairy coach Brett Evans knew just who to go to when he needed a spark for his team at Reid Oval on Saturday.
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Teenage onballer Kaine Mercovich was the man Evans knew he had to eyeball.
“I put it to him at half-time,” Evans said.
“Warrnambool had controlled play through the middle in the second quarter. Kaine has turned the game around for us a couple of times in the past and he did it again. He plays like an old hand and he responds well when he knows we need him. He was terrific.”
Mercovich produced a best-on-ground performance for the Seagulls as they skated past Warrnambool to win 17.8 (110) to 14.11 (95) in an entertaining round 11 battle.
Mercovich kicked four goals, three of those coming in a frantic last quarter.
It was a game that ebbed and flowed all day, the Blues got out to a 14-point half-time lead before the Seagulls clawed their way back to reduce the margin to just three points at the last change.
Jake O’Donnell got the Blues off to the perfect start when he kicked the first goal of the last quarter within 30 seconds.
But the Seagulls didn’t panic, with Mercovich the man for the moment. He kicked a goal at the three-minute mark and then put the Seagulls in front soon after with a brilliant 45-metre goal after roving a stoppage.
Robbie Hare got the Seagulls further in front after a mark in the square before Warrnambool kicked again.
Goals to Nick Chirnside and Sam Cowling gave the Blues back the lead.
With 25 minutes on the clock, Mercovich again took the game by the scruff of the neck.
He put the Seagulls back in the lead when he read the ball off the pack to toe poke a goal and he then set up another for Guys Phelps to put the game out of the Blues’ reach.
A late goal from Jackson Hollmer sealed the deal as the Seagulls racked up their third win in a row.
The victory was not enough to get Port Fairy into the five, it is still out by a game, but Evans is happy with the signs his team is showing.
“At one stage Warrnambool was 18 points ahead,” Evans said.
“Six weeks ago we would have dropped our heads at that point but today we kept fighting.
“We have got our team back together, the last three weeks we have had a really settled line-up which always helps.”
