Bendigo Advertiser | EAGLEHAWK stayed in touch with the BFNL top three after defeating Kyneton by 39 points at the Kyneton Showgrounds on Saturday.
Eaglehawk midfielder Brodie Filo.
The fourth-placed Hawks set up the victory with a strong first-half and then staved off a mini-comeback from the Tigers to win 17.11 (113) to 10.14 (74).
The Hawks raced to a 32-point lead at half-time before the Tigers worked their way back into the game to get within 19 points at the last break.
Eaglehawk, who would have all but kicked away its hopes of finishing top three had it lost to the Tigers, rallied in the final quarter, finishing with four goals to one.
“Kyneton got out and ran the ball in the third quarter and they’re quite strong when their skilful players get on the end of it,’’ Eaglehawk coach Luke Monaghan said.
“We did well to steady things. We had a good contribution across the board. It was a really good win.”
That team contribution was the difference between the two teams.
While Kyneton midfield dynamo Alik Magin was the standout player on the ground, the Tigers didn’t get enough from the players on the bottom half of their list.
In contrast, the Hawks hardly had a poor player.
Not for the first time this season it was their back six that laid the foundation for the win.
Kyneton has shown it can kick big scores, but the Hawks’ defence had all the answers.
Full-back Tim Hill had an entertaining duel with Tigers’ forward Mitch Scholard (three goals), while Tyler Miles restricted Ben Weightman to two goals.
Luke Button, Glenn Daly, Pascal Craig and Damian Wust also impressed in defence.
Eaglehawk’s best player was midfielder Brodie Filo, who bounced back to peak form with a swag of possessions and two goals.
Full-forward Matt Gretgrix, who continues to be hampered by injury, kicked five goals to take his season tally to 40.
“To keep the pressure on the top three we need to keep beating the sides below us and then try to take our chances when we play the top three sides,’’ Monaghan said.
“We get another chance to test ourselves next week when we play Strathfieldsaye.”
