Great Western coach Nigel Sibson is looking forward to a test against traditional Mininera and District Football League powerhouse Woorndoo-Mortlake this weekend after his side dispatched Moyston-Willaura on Saturday.

The Lions kicked six goals to one in the first term but were unable to shake the plucky Pumas until the third term, going on to win 21.7 (133) to 9.10 (64) at Moyston Recreation Reserve.

It was Great Western’s second straight win of 10 goals or more, and Sibson said his team was starting to execute consistently after a heavy round-one defeat at the hands of Lismore-Derrinallum.

“I was certainly pleased with the way we bounced back after just not playing well in round one,” he said. “We had a little bit of bad luck with injuries during the game, which left us short, initially on the bench and then on the field, but we don’t make any excuses – we just didn’t play to the correct method.

“We’re still learning and developing all the time, but since then I think for longer periods of games we’ve been playing with the correct method, which has helped us turn that game one result around.

“Lismore-Derrinallum were very good on the day, too. They’re a great side.”

Sibson was also full of praise for Moyston-Willaura – a team he said was much improved from the outfit that last year won only a single game with a percentage in the 30s.

“It was pretty competitively fought. The scoreboard might have reflected that we got an early jump, but Moyston-Willaura was very competitive and we were a little bit fumbly,” he said.

“We probably needed to be a bit cleaner, and I thought that was a byproduct of their pressure as well.

“I think it’s a really good sign for the competition that they appear to be on the up. 

“The Mininera competition seems to get a little bit stronger or more even every year, and I think the weekend was a prime example of that.”

Among the Lions’ stars on Saturday was Damien Dunn, who kicked five goals, with Billy Munkara and Alex Bonner adding four each.

“Damien was one of our injuries in round one, and being a new recruit I think he was disappointed to be injured so early in the season,” Sibson said.

“He’s certainly bounced back quite well. He kicked five at the weekend, but it was more his pressure around the ball that generated shots for him that I was happy with.”

For the Pumas, onballer Ben Skubnik and skipper Liam Kaine were standouts.

Meanwhile, the Ararat Eagles maintained their perch atop the ladder, defeating their southern neighbour Tatyoon 12.9 (81) to 8.7 (55) in front of a home crowd.

With skipper Jack Taurau rucking to a dominant onball brigade that included Ben Robertson and Andrew Cameron, the Eagles kicked away to a comfortable lead after half time.

The Hawks were also best served by their captain Josh Bibby, with Cameron Anderson and Josh Lee hitting the scoreboard, kicking two and three majors respectively.

Other matches at the weekend saw Glenthompson-Dunkeld 13.11 (89) defeat Wickliffe-Lake Bolac 9.6 (60), Hawkesdale-Macarthur 17.15 (117) beat SMW Rovers 6.12 (48), Woorndoo-Mortlake 18.18 (126) thrash Caramut 4.5 (29) and Lismore-Derrinallum 12.11 (83) topple reigning premier Penshurst 8.14 (62).

In addition to Great Western’s home game against the Tigers, round four will pit Tatyoon against Wickliffe-Lake Bolac at Tatyoon, Lismore-Derrinallum against Moyston-Willaura at Derrinallum, SMW Rovers against Ararat Eagles at Mininera, Caramut against Hawkesdale-Macarthur at Caramut and Glenthompson-Dunkeld against Penshurst at Dunkeld.

– Colin MacGillivray

The entire May 7, 2025 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!