By JOSIP ZILIC
NORTH Geelong Warriors is seeking to build on its form after leaving the bottom of the ladder with a 2-1 win against Avondale.
The Warriors’ next opponent, Northcote, has been posting mixed results with a draw last week against Oakleigh after beating former league leader Heidelberg 1-0 the week before.
A resilient team, Northcote, has leaked as many goals as North Geelong but scored 13 more this season, occasionally upsetting fancied opponents along the way.
North Geelong’s win over Avondale showed what the side can achieve when executing its game plan and winning battles across the park.
In the opening stages of the Avondale match neither side could create a real chance on target.
The game changed on 25 minutes when North Geelong was awarded a free-kick outside the area. The clearance found Michael Grgic, who got in behind the defence on the left to screw the ball back for Gareth Richards to tap home his first goal since joining the Warriors.
The Warriors then lifted, winning one-on-one battles around the park.
Michael Anderson beat his opponent all day in an inspired performance that included 34th minute cross from the left to the head of Richards, who secured his brace to open up the match.
Avondale hit back almost immediately when Mathew Sanders found himself with an opportunity for a shot on goal only to see his effort deflected wide.
North Geelong came out for the second half looking to extend the margin further.
In the 60th minute Anderson beat his man again and, presented with the option to strike or lay off, he backed himself but dragged his effort across the face of goal.
Avondale mounted a charge in the last 20 minutes when a foul just outside the box saw Massimo Murdocca line up for the kick. His effort was deflected, wrong-footing Daniel Zilic to bounce in off the crossbar and set the scene for an intense finish.
However, North Geelong’s defence held firm to close out the match 2-1.
The Warriors play Northcote at Lara’s Elcho Park, with kick off at 3pm Saturday.
