Tara Murray
The Sunbury Lions strong run of form in the Ballarat Football League continued with a good win against Ballarat on Saturday.
Having lost their first game against the Swans, the Lions have since turned their season around with three good performances in a row since.
Lions coach Travis Hodgson said the past few weeks have been their best of the season.
“We have been playing pretty good football,” he said.
“We beat East Point at Clarke Oval, a fellow finals side, then Melton South and a good win yesterday, it’s been a good few weeks.”
Hodgson said the return of key players such as Tyson Lever, Harrison Minton-Connell and Mitch Lewis had made a difference, but they were still missing eight of their best 22 on Saturday.
On Saturday, the Lions opened up an early lead against the Swans.
They were able to build on it in every quarter on the way to a 12.17 (89)-5.7 (37) win.
Hodgson said that the Swans are a really competitive side around the ball and are really well coached, meaning it’s never an easy task.
“We had nine scoring shots to one in the first quarter and we cost ourselves a bigger margin by not being accurate,” he said.
“We had to play well to get over them.”
Leigh Brennan, who played in the reserves last week, kicked four goals, while Jake Egan and Mitchell Trimboli kicked two goals each.
Lever was named the Lions best with Hodgson saying he had 10 intercept marks and used the ball really well to set things up.
Pleasing for Hodgson are the different names that were starting to pop up in the best.
“Blake Watson had a break out game against Melton South and went about it really well this week,” he said.
“Everyone is playing close to their best footy at this time of the year.”
The win has the Lions in fifth spot, but with losses to East Point and Redan, they are now two games clear of sixth and seventh.
The Lions have a bye this week, before the biggest test in the competition, facing top side Melton at home.
Hodgson said they were set to get a number of players back for that match.
He expects Jake Sutton, Nathan Wood, Fraser Ampulski, Corey Mobillo, Jacob Bygate and James Cree to all be available.
He said some might return through the reserves. It leaves Joel Muir and Jack Newitt as the ones still to return.
Newitt has played the last three games in the Victorian Football League after being added to the Northern Bullants list mid-season.
Hodgson said the back part of the season would be a real test of where they are at.
“We’re only one game off second, third and fourth,” he said.
“We’re in a good spot in the lad month and we don’t want it any other way. We face Melton away, North Ballarat away, Bacchus Marsh at Clarke and Darley away.
“We are a win behind North Ballarat and Darley and we get to play them. We have the opportunity to get a couple of scalps and climb the ladder.”
