General News
21 May, 2021
Saints await as Magpies down Blues
IT may not have been pretty but Camperdown managed to find a way to defeat Warrnambool last Saturday.
IT may not have been pretty but Camperdown managed to find a way to defeat Warrnambool last Saturday.
The Magpies recovered from a sluggish first half to hit the front after half-time and control proceedings in the third term.
Key forward Sam Gordon then kicked three goals to spark the home side in the final term, while a best on ground performance from Billy Arnold also ensured the Blues were kept at bay in the 11.12 (78) to 11.5 (71) victory.
Magpies coach Neville Swayn conceded his side did not play anywhere near its liking but would take confidence out of the contest.
“It was obviously good to get the win but we thought it was a game of turnovers pretty much,” he said.
“We weren’t extremely happy with how we played but we know the areas we need to improve on so we’ll just keep working on it.
“You go back two weeks ago to where we were good in patches and came close against North and then to come away with a win over Warrnambool when we didn’t play well is a good thing.
“Sometimes you have to win ugly, so we’ll take a lot of positives out of that.”
Swayn was also pleased his side’s effort never wavered in the contest.
He said his side could have found itself in greater trouble if it did not identify its lapses, something he said his players had spoken about previously.
“We persevered. The effort was there and I think we’re now identifying when we’re starting to have a lapse at times,” Swayn said.
“We spoke about that last week (at training) but when Warrnambool looked like it was starting to get on top we were quick to stop that and then able to get the ascendency back which was good.
“Our finish was good too. The last quarter, even though it looked close, I thought we could have kicked another two or three goals so that was positive.
“The way we’re finishing games has been a massive strength for us this year.”
Camperdown is now setting itself for a road trip to face reigning premier Koroit at Victoria Park.
The Saints had been unbeaten until last weekend, when they suffered a loss in a grand final rematch against North Warrnambool.
Swayn said his side would be wary of the rebounding Saints, but added it was readying itself for a massive challenge.
“They’re coming off a loss so they’ll certainly want to rebound but I think that’s a good thing,” he said.
“We want to see where are at against the best side in the competition and on their home ground as well will be a good challenge for us.
“We give ourselves a massive chance though if we can sharpen up our skills.
“That was one area that let us down last week, so if we clean that up we give ourselves a massive chance of going down there and beating them.”