JACK Hutt can become one of the Hampden league's best midfielders.
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That's the belief of Cobden mentor Adam Courtney who watched as the former TAC Cup prospect produced a season-best effort to stun Warrnambool on Saturday.
The number 17 booted three majors - including two in the final term - as the Bombers found a six-goal blitz in the final term to run away 13.11 (89) to 12.9 (81) winners.
Courtney said Hutt had returned from an early-season knee injury in blistering form and praised the ball magnet's role in the club climbing off the bottom of the ladder.
The third-year coach said Hutt, Patrick Smith and the rest of his midfield brigade benefited from Mark Marriott's dominance in the ruck.
"He's an outstanding talent. He's had a rough trot with injury but he's just a ball magnet. He's good both sides of his body, has good hands... Hits the scoreboard really well," Courtney said.
"We're trying to rest him forward a bit too. He's really well respected around the club, sets high standards for himself and works hard on the track. I reckon he's got the potential to be one of the best players in the league. Take out ex-AFL players and whatnot, but for naturally-talented players from this area, he's one of the better ones."
Cobden was shellshocked early as Warrnambool slotted three unanswered goals but a fightback in the second half of the first quarter meant it trailed by just six points at the change.
The Bombers drew level at the main break but looked to be in trouble when Warrnambool cleaned up its kicking efficiency and forward entries early in the third term.
We were able to be composed a little bit more and didn't blaze away down the line. We waited for the right options to open up.
- Adam Courtney
But the six-goal final term kept Warrnambool at bay and meant the Blues slipped eight points behind fifth-placed Camperdown.
Courtney said the result kept the Bombers' season alive and had spurred on belief in his group.
He said composure was among the most pleasing aspects of the triumph and also heaped praise on Noah Mounsey, who restricted livewire forward Luke Cody to one goal.
"We were able to be composed a little bit more and didn't blaze away down the line. We waited for the right options to open up," Courtney said.
"When we got the ball through the middle, we were able to get the ball deep forward. A lot of our goals came 20 or 30 metres out.
"We didn't have shallow entries and we were able to keep it in." Smooth-moving forward Sam Giblett was a casualty, suffering a collarbone injury, but Courtney was optimistic he'd recover quickly.
Warrnambool coach Ben Parkinson said the result was "really disappointing" and lamented his team's inability to turn the ball over.
He said the Blues failed to limit Hutt's impact and said while Warrnambool's midfielders were their best players, Cobden's were also.
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