STATISTICS prove North Warrnambool Eagles is on the right track.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Adam Dowie's side posted a season-high marks inside 50 as it romped to an 82-point rout of an injury-hit Warrnambool on Saturday.
Slick ball movement - which laid the foundation for the marks - meant the Eagles also kicked for goal more than they have on any other occasion in 2021.
Dowie said his side, which lost towering ruck-forward Ben Mugavin early on to compound the late withdrawal of forward Dylan Parish, was improving steadily as the weeks progressed. "We felt it was a part of our game we've been working pretty hard on and we felt as a result of our ball movement through our back-half and through our midfield looked pretty good," he said.
"We took plenty of marks inside 50 - I think we took 26 - which we thought was a pretty good result. "I think we took seven against South Warrnambool (in round two) and seven against Cobden (in round one). The inside 50 to scoring shot ratio was better than what we aim for and that's always a good sign.
I think that came on the back of some slick ball movement and it's not an accident. We've worked pretty hard on it through lots of vision and feedback.
- Adam Dowie
"I think that came on the back of some slick ball movement and it's not an accident. We've worked pretty hard on it through lots of vision and feedback."
Ben Kellett looked comofortable in his first Hampden league senior game, booting five goals, while Greater Western Victoria Rebels talent Jett Bermingham was best-on-ground in an outside midfield role.
Dowie said while the duo were talented, the club wouldn't "put too much pressure on" as the developed.
"They're both teenagers. Jett had a taste of senior footy a couple of years ago and we thought he's got better. He's had a year - almost two years now - of developing and getting bigger and stronger," he said.
"He got a bit of ball on the outside. He works pretty hard. He doesn't look like he's working but he just covers the ground pretty easily. I thought he got a fair bit of ball on the outside yesterday.
"Ben Kellett, for him to run and jump at the footy as he did in his first game, that was promising.
"He's been playing in the ruck with the Rebels. It's probably more to do with has to than wants to but he showed some good signs (at full-forward).
"They're both teenagers and they'll have ups and downs but they just need to keep enjoying it, keep learning and getting better."
Warrnambool coach Ben Parkinson, who lost star forward Jason Rowan to a shoulder injury within the first 10 minutes of the game, said North Warrnambool Eagles had the ascendancy from the get-go.
"From the first bounce it was sort of we got the tap, we fumbled, they got a goal. Second bounce, we got the tap, fumbled, they got a goal," he said.
"Two goals down within three minutes probably started our day the way it finished. Then Rowy got hurt and it probably threw us a bit in terms of structures.
"We were sort of undersized as it was as we'd lost two six foot three or six foot two guys before the game (Sam Cowling and Harry Ryan). We knew we were undersized and had to restructure going into the game.
"Then when you lose your full-forward, who is obviously a very good player, it took us a little while to readjust.
"We were sort of five goals down chasing tail. But in saying that - I won't use being undersized or undermanned as an excuse. We definitely made some errors with the football, we made some errors with our defence and they were a lot better than us as well."
Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.