The Rangers had to overcome a one-goal half-time deficit and a muddy pitch to get the three points in a 3-1 victory over Forest Rangers.

Head coach Rob Andrews said it was a danger game for his side, but he was satisfied with how it had responded.

“The weekend was a bit of an iffy game for us considering we had lost against the bottom of the table before in similar conditions, where it was very windy and raining sideways during some stages of the game,” he said.

“We played into the wind in the first half and and went into the sheds 1-0 down, which I was quite happy with. We had to dig deep as we couldn’t make any passes because it was just mud. 

“After half-time we stepped up our game and scored two in about 15 minutes and that kept us ahead until we scored a late goal. We completely dominated the play in the second half, which worked well with our plan.”

Andrews said when the team entered the sheds at half-time there was no need for him to be negative.

“We only conceded one goal from their one chance where we had created four or five chances against the wind,” he said.

“It showed that we were still able make play and make chances for ourselves, while they were only able to create one with the wind.”

The first-year coach also told his players to keep up their short passing game.

“The first half didn’t allow us to make our triangles, but I said to just keep going with it,” he said. “We also adjusted to pass wide in the second half as it allowed us to get it our to our wingers, where we have some of the fastest players in the league.”

English import Elliott Bradley replaced Darcy Johnstone on the right wing at the break as they looked for more speed wide and Josh Bourke stayed on the left side. The move worked in the Rangers’ favour.

Bourke, Ryan Bail and Isaac Slater were the beneficiaries of the strong second half performance to score the Rangers’ three goals.

The top of the table women’s division one side’s match against Ballarat North was called off due to a flooded pitch, making the Russell Square venue unplayable. 

They still sit on top of the ladder with nine wins one loss and one draw they were awarded for the weekend’s abandoned match.

They have a chance to get themselves back on the winners list at home this Sunday, while the men have a week off for the bye.

The Rangers are also running a mini World Cup tournament for their juniors at Jones Oval on Saturday. It was previously meant to run last weekend but the day was called off due to the wet weather. 

The players will be split into separate teams to form countries and compete for a replica World Cup.