Kilmore conquers tough conditions, NFL Division 3 rival Old Eltham Collegians

Kilmore bounced back from two “lazy” weeks with a critical win over Old Eltham Collegians in the battle for a NFL Division 3 top-two spot.

Chris Ryall in action for Kilmore. Picture: Nathan McNeill

After two “lazy” losses, Kilmore bounced back with a critical eight-point win over Old Eltham Collegians.

Blues coach Nathan Phillips conceded his team had got “content” before consecutive losses to Mernda and Laurimar but responded well against a NFL Division 3 premiership rival.

The 5.12 (42) to 5.4 (34) victory at Clancy Reserve snaps the Turtles’ seven-game winning streak and keeps Kilmore in the race for a top-two finish.

Phillips was confident his team was back on track.

“The boys played good footy, conditions considering, it was very wet and cold,” he said.

Chris Barton in action for Kilmore. Picture: Nathan McNeill

“I’m rapt we were able to respond with four quarters of good footy and we’ll get a rest now and reset for South Morang next week.

“Definitely (a confidence boost), there’s plenty of belief that we belong up there.

“We had a little bit of a lull for a couple of weeks but the boys identified what they needed to do better on Saturday and hopefully that’s a sign of things to come for us.

“We weren’t getting enough numbers around the ball, being a little bit lazy, a little bit content, we had to snap out of that, which to their credit they did.”

With scores level at half-time, Kilmore found another gear in the second half but inaccuracy cruelled any chance of a comfortable win.

The Blues booted 3.11 to Collegians’ 3.3.

Tom McMillan was prolific on a wing for Kilmore, driving his team forward constantly in heavy conditions.

Marcus Webb and Chris Ryall both kicked two goals, while Chris Jackson’s move to defence paid dividends with a strong performance at half-back.

“Tom played on the wing, in the first half especially I don’t think he lost a contest, won every hard ball, he inspired the boys to play the right brand of footy,” Phillips said.

“He goes a little bit unnoticed but he’s a very important player for us and it was good that he was able to get more possessions that usual and be recognised or his hard work.

“We put Jacko to half-back this week, a bit of a change in role, because we were missing Moran and Matthews and he was really good, attacked at the right time and was accountable at the right time.

“Chrisso (Ryall) is probably still not back to his best but had a lot more impact, obviously getting forward to kick a couple of goals.

“The last two weeks he’s had 13 tackles a game so even though he’s not finding as much of the ball he’s still doing the hard things.

“Leigh Irons was fantastic too, I think he laid something stupid like 15 tackles and had 30-odd touches as well.”

The result keeps Kilmore in fourth place with a two-game buffer back to Heidelberg West in fifth.

Following the Queen’s Birthday break, the Blues will return to action on June 18 against South Morang in another test of premiership rivals.

“We are (happy), we thing we’re one win short of where we wanted to be but that’s our own fault,” Phillips said.

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“If that means we have to play catch up or work even harder then the boys are definitely prepared to do so.

“You can’t complain sitting a couple of games clear in the top four at the half-way mark so it’s something to build on.”

Mathew Crooks, Seb Francis-Perkins and Jack Fitzgerald were Old Eltham Collegians’ best in defeat, while Tim Woods booted two goals.

The Turtles remain in second and will face Heidelberg West in a fortnight.