DARK HORSE Timboon Demons has sounded an ominous warning, condemning Merrivale to its second straight defeat to emerge as a bona fide finals contender.
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A four-goal haul to full-forward Leigh McKenzie helped Timboon to a 13.10 (88) to 8.9 (57) upset triumph over the Tigers on Saturday.
McKenzie’s presence hurt an injury-hit Merrivale side further and ensured the Tigers fell out of the top five with the loss.
Timboon Demons bench manager Michael Clements described the scalp as “crucial” for the club’s confidence as it vies to lock down a finals berth.
“It gives us plenty of confidence, and we think we’re good enough to compete with any side. Wins against those top sides are crucial and we hope it instills belief in this group,” he said.
“We’ve had a fair few new players to the club this year and we’ve felt like we’re improving each week.
“We’ve had guys coming down from Melbourne and we’ve really found a spot and role for them now.”
Clements said a “one-on-one” defensive philosophy had paid dividends for the Demons.
“We knew Merrivale like to chip the ball around, which can create a spare player so we were really mindful of staying one-on-one,” he said.
“We were able to stay discipline and tight for the majority of the game.
“Across the four quarters, we were far better. We had patches where we went away from what we wanted to do, but we were pleased.”
Timboon plays East Warrnambool next week.