Northcote Park hold off Macleod to snap NFL Division 1 win drought

It had been almost 1000 days since Northcote Park sung the song and it did so with gusto on Saturday but the win came with a heavy price.

Matthew Perry in action for Northcote Park. Picture: Hamish Blair

It had been almost 1000 days since Northcote Park belted out the song after a win.

The Cougars did so with plenty of gusto on Saturday after snapping its 994-day NFL Division 1 drought with a heart-stopping four-point win over Macleod at DeWinton Oval on Saturday.

The club’s previous win had also come against the Kangas, back on August 10, 2019.

Northcote Park coach Steve Saddington said there was barely a free space in the rooms after the 9.7 (61) to 8.9 (57) victory.

“It’s good to get the monkey off the back and get some reward for effort for all the boys,” he said.

“I think a few blokes didn’t know (the song) and half the blokes that have been singing it for a while took a while to get going.

“The scenes in the rooms were pretty crazy, all the supporters, the committee and the club as a whole, it’s reward for effort.”

However, the Cougars very nearly let it slip.

Leading by as many as 20 points mid-way through the fourth quarter Saddington admits his team put the “cue in the rack”.

Macleod booted three quick goals to sniff a stunning comeback but the siren sounded as they chased the match-winning goal.

“We tried to give it up, we led by about 20 points with five minutes to go but it felt like we put the cue in the rack and Macleod kept coming,” Saddington said.

“They kicked a goal with about five seconds to go and thank god the siren went straight away after the centre bounce.”

Key off-season recruits Jordan Schroder and Alex Boyse were the heroes.

Lachlan King in action for Northcote Park.

Schroder was dominant in midfield, winning clearances almost at will, while Boyse was an ever-present danger up forward booting five goals.

However, the win did come at a price with Schroder re-injuring his hamstring in the final seconds and is expected to miss Saturday’s clash against Greensborough.

“Unfortunately it looks like he might have done it again in the very last contest of the game,” Saddington said.

“It was one of the most dominant stoppage games I’ve seen, he just controlled everything, every hard ball that was there to be won he was able to control it and flick it out.

“When we got him across we knew how good he was and it was all on display.

“I spoke to him before the game and said it was a week where I needed him to step up and get us over the line and he really did that.”

Matt Perry continued his sparkling early-season form, while Ben McNiece and Jordan Perry also impressed.

Calder Cannons-listed forward Reuben Rode made his senior football debut, attracting plenty of praise from his coach.

“Reuben played his first game as the 23rd man, he’s from Calder Cannons, and he was awesome,” Saddington said.

“It took him a while to get going and he kicked a goal in the second quarter but in the last quarter, some of his efforts were unbelievable.

“There was one on the wing where I think (Patrick) Flynn and their other key backman were going for a mark, he was two-on-one – and he’s super small – and he got it out of bounds for us.”

The win lifts Northcote Park off the bottom of the ladder, equal on one win with North Heidelberg, Macleod and Whittlesea.

Saddington had no doubt about the importance of the game for the Cougars’ season.

“If we’re the bottom side I think it’s the most even comp going around … I think anyone can match it with anyone,” he said.

“If we had have dropped it we would have gone two games clear behind Macleod and made it a bit of a slog.

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“We’re in the mix again and we’ve got some belief we can win some games and once you get that feeling again hopefully it becomes addictive.”

The Borough will provide a difficult test on Saturday after they stunned Montmorency at Montmorency.

Jordan Corelli, Lucas Hobbs and Hamish Paynter were Macleod’s best, while Reid Brandt booted a team-high three goals.

The Kangas will attempt to bounce back when they travel to Moore Park to take on West Preston-Lakeside.