Diamond Creek claims critical win over Whittlesea on eve of NFNL Division 2 finals
Diamond Creek hadn’t beaten Whittlesea since 2009 but a breakthrough victory on Saturday also reignited the NFNL Division 2 premiership race.
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Not since Round 9, 2009 had Diamond Creek beaten Whittlesea.
That streak ended on Saturday when the Creekers claimed a fighting nine-point win at Coventry Oval.
The 6.13 (49) to 6.4 (40) also ended the Eagles’ bid for a perfect season after a 16-0 start and reignited the NFNL Division 2 premiership race a week out from finals.
In a possible grand final preview, both teams will perhaps take confidence with just one week left in the home-and-away season.
Although on a sour note, Diamond Creek will be sweating on the fitness of captain Nathan Searl after he limped off with an ankle injury.
Diamond Creek coach Andrew Tranquilli said it was a big result for club confidence.
“We went into it not putting too much pressure on ourselves but wanting to make sure we felt confident, knowing in the next month we were going to come across them once if not twice,” Tranquilli said.
“It was a really strong arm-wrestle, as you can see by the low scores, but if we had have kicked straight if might have been different.
“At least we had a lot more scoring shots, which suggests we had a lot more of the play.
“They were strong early, we came back and I thought we controlled the second half without putting scoreboard pressure on.
“There was some commentary made about Diamond Creek not beating Whittlesea and we’ve always struggled.
“It’s funny, you take Chris Maloney, Ryan Pingree and Nathan Searl out, no one has probably played Whittlesea in that side.”
Whittlesea held a five-point lead at quarter-time and seven-point advantage at half-time.
However, the ladder-leader was held goalless in the third term as the Creekers got on top around the contest, kicking the only goal of the term to be one-point leaders at the final break.
Inaccuracy very nearly cost the Creekers, with three straight behinds to start the fourth term taking them to 4.13, before finding the middle of the big sticks.
The Eagles hit back almost immediately to stay within a kick before Ben Major sealed the game late.
Ruckman Nick Barro was named best-on-ground in the victory, while Danyon Kambouris, Tyler Barnes and Matthew Lewis also impressed.
“Nick was a power, he worked hard, and Danyon Kambouris wasn’t far behind him with a lot of physical grunt work.
“We lost two early, one being the second ruck (Andrew White), so we relied on the summer fitness we’ve done to get us over the line.
“If we could get our hands on the footy then we could control it, we weren’t able to put it on the scoreboard but, as I said to the boys, the hardest thing is creating opportunity.”
For Whittlesea, Xavier Dimasi was best afield, while Mitch Andrews, Luke Deards and Riley Carter were strong contributors.
Paul Higgins was the match’s only multiple goalkicker with three majors.
The result moves Diamond Creek within a game of Whittlesea at top of the ladder with one game remaining.
The Creekers take on South Morang in the final round of the home-and-away season, a fortnight Tranquilli believes is a perfect warm-up to finals with a likely qualifying final date with the Lions.
“The season’s not over, we’ve got South Morang, we beat them and Whittlesea go down to Northcote Park, all of sudden we finish on top.
“Going into the weekend we were nearly at full strength from a list point of view, Tarwan Rennie and Andrew Elward pulled out during the week so they’re two that might come into consideration.
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“There’s a couple of boys playing in the reserves and whether they’re automatic ins or not, only time will tell.
“Depending on how long the Coates League goes for we might have two or three of the kids playing there that will also have a claim for selection.”
Elsewhere in Division 2, Lower Plenty’s 38-point win over Watsonia and St Mary’s 15-point win over Laurimar sets up a winner stays relegation battle between the Saints and Power next week.
South Morang was too strong for Northcote Park in a 39-point win and Thomastown kept its finals hopes alive with a thrilling four-point win over Panton Hill.
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