A week off did nothing to stop Sunbury Lions’ fine form in the Ballarat Football League.
After winning four straight matches before the interleague break, the Lions’ players were eager to take to the field against Redan.
At Mars City Oval, a ground where they don’t have a good record, the Lions put in an even performance across the board to record a 15.14 (104)-9.2 (62) win.
Only nine points separated the two teams at half-time, but Lions’ coach Rick Horwood said that was because of the Lions’ poor kicking.
“The game was a bit of a struggle,” Horwood said.
“We missed a lot of opportunities. The score was 5.10 to 5.1 at half-time and the margin was nine of those shots we missed.
“We got our efficiency better in the second half and were rewarded for the effort. There was some really good periods of football and the most complete game of football across the board we’ve played this year.”
Horwood, who was coaching the club for the 100th time, said the evenness of the players was the most impressive thing for him.
He said he expected all but one player to poll votes in the club best and fairest award. The exception was Jack Sheahan, whose horrible run with injuries continued at the weekend.
Returning after an ankle injury, Sheahan left the game early in the second quarter with a knee problem.
Already missing key forwards Josh Burgess and Jesse McInneny through injury, Horwood turned to Joe Redfern to play up forward.
“He played as a high half-forward and provided a lot of drive and was a big part of the reason we took over the game,” Horwood said.
“It’s great to see other blokes step up and play different positions when they need to.”
Jack Landt kicked four goals for the Lions.
Horwood said he expected Burgess to return next week, but McInneny would miss a few more weeks after surgery on a broken nose.
For a second straight match, the dynamic duo of Alik Magin and Daniel Toman starred in the midfield.
“I’d hate to see how many possessions the two of them have had the last two rounds,” Horwood said.
“When they’re both playing it frees up the other guys. I thought Greg Hay and Tommy Donoghue played their best games of the year.”
The Lions A-grade netballers suffered their first loss of the season, losing 42-33 to Redan.
