Kyneton secures first win under new coach, AFL great Paul Chapman

A basketball convert and a trio of recruits impress as Kyneton secures its first win of the Bendigo league season under new coach Paul Chapman.

Rhys Magin in action for Kyneton. Picture: Andy Brownbill

Kyneton secured its first win under new coach Paul Chapman on Saturday.

The Tigers were too strong for Bendigo league strugglers Kangaroos Flat, claiming a 75-point win at Downer Park.

Chapman endured a rough start to his tenure with a 115-point loss to Golden Square in Round 1 but saw his team produce an astonishing turnaround seven days later.

Kyneton came out all guns blazing, kicking 5.9 in the opening quarter while keeping the Kangaroos goalless.

Kangaroos Flat were held goalless again in the fourth quarter, highlighting the Tigers improved pressure and defence.

Tigers football manager Nathan Thompson said the club couldn’t have asked for a better response.

“It was important game for us and Kangaroos Flat as well considering both teams had missed out in Round 1 playing strong opposition,” he said.

“We knew we’d have a big improvement from Round 1, from where we sat it wasn’t as bad as the scoreboard looked and we learnt a lot from it.

“It was a great start, the guys came out attacking the contest and the tackling was a real highlight.

“We had some young fellas that learnt a lot (in Round 1), they settled in very quickly on Saturday, and some position changes got us off on the right foot.”

In his return to the club, Jordan Mangan was best on ground at centre half-back and pinch-hitting in the ruck.

Recruits James Gaff and Guy Dickson impressed on a wing and in attack respectively, while Rhys Magin, Angus Nolte and Cameron Wallace all kicked three goals.

“Jordan’s a local fella, his passion has always been basketball, but we were able to get him to jump back on board this year,” Thompson said.

James Gaff during his days at Old Carey in the VAFA. Picture: James Ross

“He took a lot of contested marks and went into the ruck as well and gave us a solid effort there. It was a really solid all-round game.

“His improvement from Round 1 to Saturday was fantastic and he’ll only keep improving as he gets footy fit and starts reading the play a bit more.

“James is new to the club, his first game he was finding his feet a little bit, but on the weekend gave us a lot of drive and run.

“We picked up Guy Dixon, Cameron Wallace and James as a threesome, those guys were Old Carey players … they’re quality people first and foremost and they’ve been great for our culture and young guys.”

Chapman too has settled in well having taken the reins from Thompson in October.

The three-time Geelong premiership star is looking to develop the area’s local talent and continue the Tigers’ rebuild.

“Paul’s like a lot of the first-gamers, he’d never met any of our players or seen them play, so he’ll take some time to adjust,” Thompson said.

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“He’s settled in very well and I think he’s enjoying himself, which is the most important thing. He’s fantastic with the young guys and has relationships with senior guys already.

“It’s not like he brought five guys with him, the majority of our team are locals.

“He’s got a very young team this year – I think 14 were under 20 – so that makes the outlook for the future pretty solid.”

Kyneton welcomes South Bendigo to the Showgrounds in Round 3, while Kangaroos Flat travels to Gisborne.