The Courier |
Sam Giblett's hungry Springbank side went down to Hepburn.
HEPBURN 10.11 (71)
SPRINGBANK 6.3 (39)
WITH the pressure beginning to mount after its lacklustre start to the Central Highlands Football League season, Hepburn took care of a hungry Springbank side to win by 32 points on Saturday.
Coming into the round sitting at three wins and two losses and a percentage under 100, the Burras' backs were up against the wall.
A response was required and Hepburn duly delivered heading into the interleague break.
An encouraging sign for the victor was the form of two superstars, Andy McKay and Lee Cox, who have been quieter than expected thus far through the season.
From the first bounce, both men took the game by the throat, with McKay's run and carry the perfect complement to Cox's three first-quarter goals.
Throughout the first half, the Burras' transitional play after a Springbank turnover was unstoppable.
When Hepburn gained possession back, it spread to the open side and caught its opponents napping, leading to an uncontested mark inside the forward 50m.
It is play like this that has made the Burras such a dominant side in recent years but that class and poise has been absent all too frequently this year.
Springbank kicked five goals to Hepburn's two in the second half as the momentum shifted.
The Tigers lifted their level of intensity and pressured the Burras into some mistakes.
Springbank refused to wither and although the result didn't go its way, the Tigers will take some positives from the game.
Hepburn coach Clive Raak praised the fortitude of his group post-match. "I think it was a good win," he said.
"The ground got heavy at the end and we got a bit tired but in the first two quarters they couldn't match it with us.
"Just our finishing skills weren't there.
"I'm not worried about fade-outs.
"We made six changes this week with five kids under the age of 19, so that just shows you where we're at."
