Despite being forced to make eight changes from last week’s side the Roos battled hard against an in-form Albury Tigers outfit at John Foord Oval on Saturday.
Corowa Rutherglen 5.10 (40) def by Albury 17.11 (113)
Best: Darcy Hope, Ryan Eyers, Jedd Longmire, Scott Jansen, Caleb Bertram, Jason Marks.
Goals: Sam Dunstan 2, Darcy Hope 2, Jordan Eyers 1.
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The Corowa-Rutherglen Roos fought admirably once again and improved in each quarter despite a heavy loss to the Albury Tigers in Albury.
Jed Longmire takes one of his many terrific marks against Albury.
Perennial powerhouses Albury were sniffing a return to form after some difficult weeks with injury but found their feet once again at the expense of Corowa-Rutherglen.
Three Tigers can’t stop Mak Lavis from firing out a handball.
Both sides had a few injuries to deal with, but the Roos were forced to make eight changes from last week’s side, which brought some opportunities for a senior debut for some players.
Brady Morton about to whip out a handball despite Albury efforts to stop him.
Assistant Coach Ben Talarico, and newcomers Brock Milde and Jayke Nicholson pulled on the blue and white for the first time at senior level, which is always an exciting occasion.
Key forward Darcy Hope was tough to handle four Tiger defenders all day, being named best on ground and kicking two majors in a terrific effort, whilst Sam Dunstan and Jordan Eyers both also hit the scoreboard.
Former Free Press journalist Jason Marks had his name written all over the footy on this occasion and was one of his team’s best players against Albury.
Key defender Ryan Eyers was also outstanding once again, proving his mettle against a feverish Tiger forward line that had the luxury of some elite forward entries.
Another Roo to impress was the energetic Caleb Bertram, who was tasked with manning Tiger star Fletcher Carroll for the day. Carroll, who averaged 30 disposals per game leading into the matchup, was kept to just 20 by the hard-running former Chiltern star and fan favourite of the Roos in Bertram.
For the Tigers, it was former CDHBU junior and Corowa local Mat Walker who did the scoreboard damage with seven majors in a big return to form.
The Roos' effort all over the ground was impressive, winning the contested possession and tackle count for the day, which was the primary focus for the afternoon.
That resulted in a 60 point improvement on the Round 1 matchup against Albury, another testament to the steady improvement of the Roos this season.
This weekend sees a week off for the split round, before shaping up to the Wangaratta Rovers at John Foord Oval on June 29th.
Seniors’ Awards: Darcy Hope, Ryan Eyers, Jedd Longmire, Scott Jansen.
Reserves’ Awards: Luke Acuri, Will Bott, Judd Kuschert, Charles James.
Thirds
Roo Jay Lavis gets his kick away despite three Tigers trying to claw him.
As the season officially hit the half way point, it meant we were off to Albury for the second battle against the Tigers this year.
The game started just as we expected, it was a very hot footy early in the game. Both teams were bashing and crashing in and the first quarter was just a battle of territory.
Our boys managed to adapt to the conditions quicker in the second term, able to put on three goals to one. The ball was still slippery and the contested possessions and pressure acts from both sides was through the roof.
After half time, Albury got the jump on us and had a lot of momentum throughout the third. As the conditions got better we were able to slow the game down and get it back on our terms and went into three quarter time 3 points in front.
A great spoil by Ethan Lane over his Albury opponent.
The final term was a roller coaster for both sides, and would have been a great game to watch from a spectator’s perspective. A credit to both teams for the high-quality footy in such a tight game.
Unfortunately, we just couldn’t get over the line, but the improvement from our boys since round 1 has been absolutely incredible. To have come so far in such a short time is a great reward for all the hard work they have put in.
Jonah Massey-Chase stops Tigers from marking the footy.
Now we head into a week off and a good fortnight on the track, ready to go against Rovers at JFO.
Awards: Lucas Tafft, Caile Duryea, Jay Lavis, Judd Kuschert.
