GFNL battlers North Shore bank first win of season against Lara - with next goal to bridge margins against competition’s best

After a tumultuous off-season, North Shore broke through for its first win of the season against fellow battlers Lara. Now, the Seagulls will zero on a new goal in the back half of the year.

North Shore leaves the field after defeating Lara. Picture: Mark Wilson

It’s the little wins which offers North Shore the most hope moving forward.

Savouring their first win of the GFNL season on Saturday, North Shore downed fellow battlers Lara by 14 points – the round 9 result enough to suggest to first-year Seagulls coach Mark Hounslow his side was on the right path.

In a finals-like atmosphere at Lara’s Snakepit – with both clubs desperate for an illusive first win – it was the Seagulls who found an extra gear in the second term before steeling themselves in the second half to hold off the Cats inevitable charge, in a 15.18 (108) to 13.16 (94) victory.

“To get reward for effort was huge, and for everyone to know we’re on the right path – to get that win was massive for everyone especially heading into the second half of the year,” Hounslow said.

North Shore’s Will Milsome celebrates one of his three goals. Picture: Mark Wilson

After a tumultuous off-season cast doubt on North Shore’s ability to fields team in the GFNL this season, the club has weathered the storm and pushed on with a young and largely inexperienced list under a new coach and club president (Maryian Szponar).

It’s seen them on the end of triple figure defeats each week, including last round’s 242-point drubbing to bottom 5 Geelong West in arguably one of the lower point of their season.

But in the same boat has been Lara, the Cats also winless and handed several substantial losses this year, making both clubs’ first meeting highly anticipated.

While the Cats took an early lead with accurate kicking – 3.1 to 1.5 – in the first, the Seagulls started to get enough reward in the second such was their abundance of forward entries and scoring shots, to kick 7.10 to 1.0.

“Our main emphasis was to really come forward and defend and try put them under pressure and repeat kick out of our forward 50, which we were able to do, and off the back of that we could set up the ground behind the ball,” Hounslow said.

“At one stage we were 1.6 and missed too many opportunities but... I said to the guys, eventually that will turn and they’ll turn into goals and that’s what happened.

“Then they didn’t think so much and just played on instinct and listened to instruction.

“Both teams had their moments yesterday, which was always going to happen, two bottom teams … it was just who made the most of it.”

Lara’s Cooper McKane flies high for the mark on Saturday. Picture: Mark Wilson

Star midfielder Darby Henderson was Lara’s best, while Tom Gunther kicked a game-high four goals, but it was members of Seagulls’ leadership group who stepped up late in the game to get the repeat stoppages needed to hold off the Cats, as the Seagulls kicked the final two goals of the day to secure the win.

“Every guy in the leadership group put themselves on-ball, Brad Tregenza, Connor Walmsley, then Harry Purcell and Jacob Sammut-miljevic … they just threw themselves in,” Hounslow said.

Hounslow said the leadership of his co-captains Sammut-miljevic and Purcell (three goals returning from injury) had been massive for the club and its young list.

North Shore coach Mark Hounslow talks to his players during the third-quarter huddle. Picture: Mark Wilson

Predicting half his list had not played senior footy before this season, Hounslow pointed to the likes of Barwon Heads recruit Declan Clark (who had two senior appearances to his name before this year) as a key inclusion, Clark kicking three on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Will Milsome’s three-goal game was particularly impressive considering he played on despite a rolled ankle and tweaked hamstring, while the Seagulls also lost Grady Clifford after quarter-time to a head knock.

Turning their attention to the second half of the season, Hounslow’s aim is to lesser the margins against the competition’s best, with Colac next – the Tigers handing the Seagulls their worse loss of the season in a 264-point hammering back in round 1.

“At the end of the day, it’s a young list and sometimes it’s sort of expected but it still hurts,” Hounslow said.

“So we just want to improve on those margins, show some more improvement and who knows, jag one or two more by the end of the year hopefully, but if not really get the small wins.

“We don’t have the skill of the others clubs, and that’s fine but we need to work out what our point of difference is and that’s going to be to bring that pressure and build our game off that.

Lara’s William Nichols is tackled by North Shore’s Bradlee Trezenza. Picture: Mark Wilson

“To bring that this week and just keep reinforcing the message that, just take the little wins and keep it really simple … just simplifying everything for the young group.

“Yesterday was just another small win and step forward – we’re both in the same boat us and Lara, so we’ve got to keep working towards everyone sticking together and getting better.”

Hounslow, who hopes to get Lachlan Hayes, Bailey Lewis and young ruck Oscar Mccausland (overseas) back in the coming weeks, said the club would look to start re-signing their list from this week, with mechanisms already in place in regards to their recruiting for next season.

“We’ve already got plans in place, we had a few meetings as an off-field committee and also a coaching staff – everyone’s on the same page and really pushing forward,” he said.

“From the outside looking in, I know a lot of people think North Shore is sort of struggling and how are they here sort of thing, but inside the four walls, the support is massive and people just love the club, the history it’s got.”

That history – including their premiership dominance of the 1990s – remains a source of pride at North Shore, though Hounslow said it was also time the current group created their own history.

“We’ll get there, it will just take a little bit of time,” he said.

Originally published as GFNL battlers North Shore bank first win of season against Lara - with next goal to bridge margins against competition’s best