Kyneton claims stunning win over Woodend—Hesket in Riddell District debut

In front of a “ridiculous” crowd, Kyneton made a strong first impression in the Riddell District, demolishing grand finalist Woodend-Hesket.

Ryan Pretty in action for Kyneton. Picture Yuri Kouzmin

Talk about first impressions.

Kyneton made a statement as it made its Riddell District debut on Good Friday, dismantling grand finalist Woodend-Hesket.

A gigantic crowd at Kyneton Showgrounds, estimated to be close to 4000, roared on the home team to a 53-point triumph.

After a tightly-contested first half, the Tigers ran away with the match in the second, winning 13.11 (89) to 5.6 (36).

Ryan Pretty bagged five goals in a dominant display, while Caleb Fisher earnt best-on-ground honours.

Harrison Huntley in action for Kyneton. Picture Yuri Kouzmin

First-year coach Ethan Foreman said it was the perfect start for the club.

“It was a cracking day, I loved every second of it,” he said.

“It was a great start to something new, something fresh, and it was a pretty feisty game that’s started the rivalry between us and Woodend.

“It’s huge, we had a ridiculous crowd in Kyneton – close to 4000 I’d dare say.

“The off-season we’ve had, with so much change, obviously moving leagues and our list has been completely flipped on its head – we ran out with 19 one-pointers – it was good to see everything come together, it was exactly what we wanted.

“There was a little bit of turmoil when we made the move and some traditional families in Kyneton were sceptical because we’d been in the Bendigo league for 90, 100 years.

“I believe it was the right call and it was great to see it all come together and pay off. The first of many I hope.”

Foreman conceded his team had got caught up in the fanfare of the day but still led by 13 points at half-time.

Cody Young in action for Kyneton. Picture Yuri Kouzmin

He told the team at half-time to take a breath and settle and get back to their gameplan, switching the ball and using the showgrounds’ width.

The message worked as the Tigers held Woodend to a single behind in the third quarter before running away with the game, booting eight goals to two in the second half.

“Unfortunately for Woodend, they’ve had a tough off-season, I know they lost a few players,” Foreman said.

“We came into the game, I’m not going to say we were too confident, but they jumped us a little bit in the first half and it took us a little while to hit our straps.

“We were caught off guard by their ball use, they were pretty slick, which we weren’t really expecting.

“It was good to see we were able to flick the switch in the second half and turn the game on its head and get the job done.”

Fisher kicked off his campaign in fine style, winning plenty of the ball and hitting the scoreboard with two majors.

Pretty finished with five majors, while Foreman bagged three, and star big man Jayden Eales, Cody Young, James O’Sullivan and Dylan Holden all impressed.

Foreman was rapt to see the summer’s hard work pay off.

“Caleb is in for a huge year,” he said.

“I’m not going to tip him for the Bowen (Medal) just yet but I dare say he’ll be right up there at the end of the year.

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“He’s had a huge pre-season and it’s good to see all his hard work pay off. He’s 25 or 26 and just starting to hit his straps.

“(Pretty) does a lot for our club, he’s our team manager and also the coach of the twos, and he’s put in some hard yards over the of-season, so it’s good to see the hard work pay off.”

For Woodend-Hesket, new coach Alistair Rae was named best afield, while new recruit Will Wiseman (three goals), Tyson Chapman and reigning Bowen Medallist Daniel Toman were strong contributors.

The two teams will now have the weekend off before Round 2 when the Tigers travel to Riddell and the Hawks host Macedon.