By Matt Hewson
St Joseph’s produced a classic team performance to win by 40 points at South Barwon in round 14 of Geelong Football League on the weekend.
Joeys got away to a fast start, kicking with the wind and capitalising on that advantage to lead 7.2 to 1.1 at quarter time.
South Barwon struck back in the second quarter, outscoring St Joseph’s by four goals to none, but the Joeys’ conversion rate in the first quarter held them in good stead as they retained a 15-point lead at the major break.
Five goals in each of the third and fourth periods cemented the Joey’s victory with a final score of 15.11(101) to 9.7(61).
St Joseph’s coach Paul Carson said his side’s accuracy in the first quarter paved the way for the win.
“To kick 7.2, to kick that straight, is super important to get that separation and put on scoreboard pressure,” he said.
“Getting nine shots on goal and kicking seven of them doesn’t happen very often. The week before it was the other way around, and you can really keep the other team in the game if you miss those goals.
“But it was really good in a big game like that to give ourselves a nice buffer and set up the win from there.”
St Joseph’s ruckman Josh Hovey was important for the visitors, getting the edge on his South Barwon counterpart Luke Davis for much of the game and taking contested marks around the ground.
Hovey was supported by a dominant midfield that included Reid Adams and Sam Clohesy with 27 and 20 disposals, respectively, while returning forward Ayden Gras led the goalscorers with three after dominating the reserves competition for the last month.
But Carson emphasised the contributions of all his players on the weekend.
“Hovey was fantastic, Reid Adams worked his bum off all day and Brant Haintz was really strong, but we didn’t have any passengers,” he said.
“We had nine goal-kickers in the end, which was a really pleasing thing. It’s a good thing when half your team’s kicking goals and sharing the load on the scoreboard.
“Everyone did their bit and got the job done.”
The win leaves the Joeys in the fifth spot and a game clear of sixth-placed Grovedale, who they face this week in a match that could have a huge impact on the ladder come finals time.
“They’re right behind us on the ladder, so this will be a big game,” Carson said.
“They’ve been in good form and their list looks quite healthy, so it’s another opportunity to play a really good team.
“We’ll really try to give ourselves a little buffer and get some separation from sixth place, and that’ll go a long way to make sure we can cement ourselves in the five.”
Hovey’s performance could once again be a major factor in the match, as he will face ex-AFL ruckman Ryan Abbott.
“Abbott is probably the best ruckman in the competition,” Carson said.
“So if we can limit his use, nullify him a bit and win that contest work underneath him it’ll go a long way toward getting the result we’re after.”
