Kyneton cements third on RDFNL ladder after beating top-six rival Romsey

Kyneton and Romsey both struggled for accuracy but it was the Tigers that secured a critical victory to cement themselves in third on the RDFNL ladder.

Harrison Huntley in action for Kyneton. Picture: Josh Chadwick

There’s Diggers Rest and Riddell and then you can throw a blanket over third to seventh.

However, Kyneton might have stepped out of the pack on Saturday with a critical 18-point win over finals rival Romsey at Kyneton Showgrounds.

The 11.15 (81) to 7.21 (63) victory sees the Tigers cement themselves in third place on the RDFNL ladder.

Returning from the King’s Birthday weekend bye, both teams struggled with accuracy in front of the big sticks but the home team took enough of their chances.

Young guns Francis Randall and Bailey Ryan stood tall, while Angus Nolte and Harry Ryan both bagged three goals.

James Gaff in action for Kyneton. Picture: Josh Chadwick

Kyneton coach Ethan Foreman said he’d made it clear to his players before the game just how important the game was for their season.

“I put up the ladder pre-game, just to show how tight it is,” Foreman said.

“Before (Saturday), third to sixth were all on the same points and Riddell and Diggers were one game clear.

“It’s very tight, so I made sure the boys all knew what was going on and how much that game meant to us.

“It was a real must-win game I believed, not just to put some distance between us and the pack but to keep up with the top-two.”

Accuracy was an issue from the first bounce as Kyneton kicked 3.7 and Romsey 0.6 in the first quarter.

The Redbacks were 0.11 before Jack Jedwab finally broke the curse, going to half-time 2.13 and trailing the Tigers by 21 points.

The visitors were seemingly in control in the third term but again kicked 2.6 to shoot themselves in the foot and Kyneton held a five-point lead at the final change.

Kyneton finished strongly, bagging four goals to two to seal a hard-fought win.

After kicking 8.26 last week to beat Melton Centrals, Romsey has kicked 15.47 in its last two games.

Foreman said it was strange game all round

“We weren’t that flash in front of goal either,” he said.

“It was pretty still, the wind was favouring one end but straight down the ground, it wasn’t wet.

“I spoke to Angus Nolte after the game, he kicked a bunch of points as well, and he reckoned it was the ball, the ball was no good.”

Randall was prolific in midfield, taking his opportunity with Team of the Year gun Caleb Fisher nursing an injury.

Bailey Ryan impressed in defence, while Cody Young, Danny Grmusa, Harry Ryan and Isaac Barassi also shone.

Foreman was rapt for his young players, saying they now believed they belonged at the level.

“That was the best game Francis has played for the game,” he said.

“Caleb Fisher rolled his ankle against Melton South a couple of weeks ago, he was right to play but wasn’t quite there, so we moved him out and gave Francis an opportunity to play a full game in the midfield and he took it with both hands.

“He’s only 19 or 20, it’s his second year of senior footy and he hasn’t missed a beat.

“Bailey is the same but he’s even younger – 17 or 18 – we were a bit short at the start of the season and he got an opportunity … he made a move to the backline recently and has come on in leaps and bounds.

“He’s a big body for a young kid and has realised blokes aren’t that much bigger, he’s starting to hit packs does throws himself at everything.”

However, the win was soured as Jack Hamilton suffered a fractured cheekbone in a brutal head clash.

For Romsey, Ash Millane was named best afield, while Liam Muir, Kane Brinkhuis and Joe Stapleton stood tall.

Kyneton now faces a blockbuster fortnight against ladder-leader Diggers Rest and grand finalist Wallan.

“I’ve been banging on to the boys about this month, it’s our big boy month,” Foreman said.

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“We’ve had Melton South, Romsey and now Diggers Rest and then Wallan, so it’s about trying to push through and see how we’re tracking.

“I don’t mind our chances, we play their ground well and we were able to beat them there last year when our year was nearly done with a side that was pretty young.”

Elsewhere, Melton South defeated Woodend-Hesket by 16 points to also move a game clear of the pack in fourth, while Macedon moved within six points of the top-six with a 60-point win over Melton Centrals.

Diggers Rest thrashed Wallan by 48 points to crash Chris Stewart’s 300th senior match and Riddell eased past Lancefield by 65 points.