Bendigo Advertiser |They couldn't hit the side of a barn early, but White Hills are now making most of their scoring chances.
WHITE Hills coach Shaun Makepeace says his forwards' improved ability to get the ball in more dangerous positions inside 50 is contributing to the Demons’ sharper scoring efficiency in the Heathcote District Football League.
The Demons were woeful in front of goal early in the season, kicking 31.51 in their first three games at a conversion rate of just 37.8 per cent.
Those missed chances were both frustrating and deflating for the Demons as their hard work to get the ball inside 50 was too often let down by wasted opportunities in front of goal.
But since those first three off-target games, the Demons have straightened up in front of goal to the extent that last Saturday against Lockington-Bamawm United they kicked 25 goals from 32 scoring shots with a return of 25.7.
Their past five games have yielded 92.53, converting at 63 per cent.
“It was very frustrating early, but we’ve been trying to work on getting better quality shots at goal,” Makepeace said on Wednesday.
“Rather than having most of our shots from deep in pockets or out on flanks, we’ve put in a lot of work in trying to keep our forwards leading straight and getting them into more dangerous spots.
“But in saying that, our forwards have also been doing a lot of extra work after training to sharpen up their goalkicking.”
The Demons’ forward line has a potent look about it entering the second half of the season, with Victor Caristo (hamstring) and Sam Kerr (ankle) both back on the park now alongside Kris Lea and Matt Sawyer.
Caristo, Kerr and Lea combined for 19.2 against the Cats last Saturday in what was a win that squared the Demons ledger at 4-4 at the halfway mark of the season.
The Demons sit fifth on the ladder, with middle-of-the-road team an apt description of their first eight games.
They have lost to the four teams above them by an average of 56 points, but smashed the four below them by an average of 94 points.
The Demons are two games safely inside the top five ahead of a pair of games against Colbinabbin (fourth) and Huntly (third) over the next two weeks, giving them an opportunity to chase the scalps of two teams above them on the ladder.
• This Saturday’s round 10 HDFL games: Heathcote v Huntly; North Bendigo v LBU; White Hills v Colbinabbin; Mount Pleasant v Leitchville-Gunbower.
