Russells Creek captain Taylem Wason says a hefty win over Kolora-Noorat solidifies belief within his group that they can beat anyone.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Armed with a 23-point lead at half-time, the Creekers didn't let up, eventually running out 16.13 (109) to 6.13 (49) victors over the Power.
"We definitely talked about how we should all have that belief that we can play finals footy and go deep into finals," Wason said.
"Coming pretty close against Panmure and then trying to come back against Nirranda (over the last fortnight), it really put that belief in.
"But we've just got to make sure we're having that full four quarter effort and we can match it with anyone then."
The Creekers' lacklustre starts in recent games made it difficult for the budding team to clinch the four points, but they had no such issues on their home deck against the Power.
Co-coach Danny Chatfield said getting the jump on Kolora-Noorat was the key to the winning result.
"We went away last week and it's something we spoke about as a playing group," he said.
"The fast starts, against these top teams, we really want to get that upper hand in the first quarter. We got up by a couple kicks (on Saturday) and were out of the box early.
"To our blokes credit it was just all a great team effort."
Prior to the game, the club unveiled its first-ever Indigenous jumper, designed by 13-year-old Kobi Chatfield. Wason said it was "bloody good" to be a part of the first club in the region to wear an Indigenous jumper.
"Being Indigenous myself, I really thought it was amazing by the club," he said.
"We have a fair few Indigenous blokes at the club so it was really special for us and the community."
Junior Archie Lay came into Creek's side and was among its best, while Dan Nicholson continued to show why he is one of the competition's best with five goals.
Kolora-Noorat playing coach Nick Bourke conceded Creek was too strong for his group on the day.
"They used the ball really well, and were probably used to playing on their ground and came ready to play," he said.
"It felt like we were a little fumbly, they brought a lot of pressure. So just working on that and trying to put four quarters together. When we get the game on our terms, we're hard to beat but we're just not doing it for long enough."
The Power made up to six changes heading into the clash with a mix of COVID-19, injuries and unavailability, but fall to a 3-3 record. It makes next week's fixture against South Rovers a must win for the Power.
"We've got them at home and that now becomes a really big game," Bourke said.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark https://www.standard.net.au/
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines and newsletters
- Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn
- Tap here to open our Google News page.
- Join our Courts and Crime Facebook group and our dedicated Sport Facebook group
- Subscribe