Tara Murray
There was a sense of relief on Saturday as the Sunbury Lions finally broke through for their first win of the Ballarat Football League season.
The Lions had gone close to getting on the board in their first four matches, but hadn’t been able to get over the line.
On Saturday at their home deck, the Lions controlled the game from start to finish against Lake Wendouree.
An eight goal to two first quarter set the tone in the 14.16 (100)-8.11 (59) win.
Lions coach Travis Hodgson said they knew they hadn’t been far away from a win, but it was still a relief to finally get the four points.
“We’ve played some reasonable footy except for one game,” he said.
“We never doubted where we were at, but after every loss, a win seems further away. Hopefully we can start to build some moment on the back of it.”
Hodgson said they made some slight changes to the way they played to try and get on top early.
The first quarter reflected what they had wanted.
“Eight goals to two in the first quarter was a really good start,” he said. “We were more aggressive with the ball, as we had been a little safe at times.
“We were easy to defend. So we started to take some more risks with the footy and we were rewarded.”
Hodgson said it had been a really strong team effort that had got the across the line.
He singled out the games of Harrison Minton-Connell, Haydn Ross and Tyson Lever, who were all keys to getting the side on the board.
Corey Mobilio kicked three goals for a second straight week.
Hodgson said Mobilio, who has been a lock down defender for the side, has been enjoying his ‘holiday’ in the forward line.
“We threw him forward last week and he kicked three goals,” he said. “This week he showed it wasn’t a fluke.
“We know that he can always go back. As a small lockdown defender, it can be a bit stale. We’ve let him off the leash and he’s enjoying the freedom.
“Whether it’s sustainable or not, we’re not sure. The goals were a bonus for him, his pressure was first class.”
The win came with the Lions missing 10 of their best side out. Eight of them are out injured.
Hodgson said they were hopeful of getting some of those guys back this week
“We might get James Cree, Riley Miller and Jarrah Maksymow back this week,” he said.
“Ben Toman played his first game for the club after battling a hip injury. He played in the reserves and was best on ground by a mile. He’s a available for selection.
“If we don’t lose anyone, we will be a lot stronger in the next month.”
The Lions are at home again this weekend, playing Redan on Saturday in the battle of the Lions.
Redan is sitting 10th, percentage behind the Lions.
