Bendigo Advertiser | KANGAROO Flat unleashed a nine-goal second half to snatch a narrow win over a fired-up and determined Castlemaine on Saturday night.
The Magpies took a well-earned 33-point lead into the half-time break at Bendigo Mazda Oval before a large, but subdued, Roos home crowd.
Only in the concluding two quarters did the Flat faithful find full voice.
Co-captains Nick Lang (nine marks in the final term) and Corey Greer (two goals on the night) led the way as Kangaroo Flat eased home to a nine-point win: 12.12 (84) to 11.9 (75).
The speedy Pies nailed nine goals of their own in the first half as full-forward Mark Ramsey contributed five majors and centreman Justin Dorward and midfielders Kalan Huntly and Klai Jermyn were too quick and elusive for their opponents.
Ramsey booted all four of the Maine’s opening term majors including the first at the 21-second mark from an opportunistic back-heeled shot.
Fortunately for the Roos, Brayden Knox was on target as he drilled two majors from set shots at the scoreboard end.
A five-goal second term set the Magpies on track to their big half-time lead.
Skipper Zach Hansford, Tom Robertson and Chris McKnight all drove home valuable majors with the Roos able to score just four behinds.
David Stephens and Tom Horne completely shut down the Flat forward line.
But then, responding to coach Jason Stevens’ fire and brimstone half-time address, the Roos added five goals to one in the third stanza.
Unsighted in the first half Cameron Rinaldi drilled a pair ofset shot majors and the pacy Ryan McNish, who was the linkman across half-forward, added the first of his two for the evening.
Only James O’Brien was able to stem the tide for the Maine with a major from the time-keepers’ box flank.
The Roos finally hit the front at the 10-minute mark of the final quarter, thanks to goals from Ross Turner and McNish.
It was just a two-point advantage - 10.9 to 10.7 - but from then on Lang and Greer steadied the Roos: Lang with his marking and Greer with his run.
Knox and Rinaldi iced the win for the Roos with set shot majors with the Magpies’ only reply an after-the-siren goal from Ramsey.
His sixth cut the final deficit to nine points.
Stevens agreed the match had been of distinct halves.
“Castlemaine came here full of confidence and there’s no doubt they will challenge a lot of sides this season,” he said.
“I gave our blokes a little bit of a rev at half-time and they managed to play a really great third quarter.
“Our two co-captains in Lang and Greer really responded in those third and fourth quarters after Knox had been our only viable option up forward early in the match.”
