By Oliver Lees
Woodend-Hesket coach Ben Tankard is hoping his side can carry its newfound form into the rest of the season in the Riddell District Football League.
After starting the season with two losses, the Hawks bounced back last week, beating Melton Central 83 to 32.
Tankard said it was positive to see the team get its first win after a “horrible” start to the season.
“We haven’t started the season the way we wanted to, we were horrible against Romsey, it was a shocking loss,” he said, referring to a 106-point loss to the Romsey Redbacks on April 24.
“But we’ve regrouped and had a good win against Melton Central, who are not easy to beat on their home ground.
“It’s good to get some momentum and take a step in the right direction.”
Tankard said expectations were high for his side coming into the season with some new recruits joining the side.
Versatile midfield-forward Josh Pound is among the Hawks newest players, having signed on last year.
Pound was the equal-top goalscorer for the Hawks in their breakthrough win against Melton Central, kicking three goals.
The Hawks ran over Melton Central in the final quarter of the match, kicking seven goals to two.
Tankard said he was pleased to see the team capitalise on the pressure they built earlier in the match.
“Melton Central were really aggressive in the first quarter but I think we were able to break them down in the second quarter,” he said.
“I think the momentum was there and then we regrouped and kept things very simple.
“Once we got going we got going we finally got some reward.”
Reflecting on the first three games of the season, Tankard said the team was still learning to play together and was slowly building chemistry between the midfield and forward line.
The Hawks now sit in seventh place on the ladder.
They face Macedon Football Club on Saturday at their home ground, Gilbert Gordon Oval.
Tankard said despite the Hawks not having beat Macedon in more than a decade, his side was confident it could walk away with the four points.
