The Courier |
AT THE start of the year, new Carngham-Linton coach Jamie Briody said the Saints were going to be a more competitive unit in 2013.
And so far, so good.
They have already eclipsed their four wins from last season, with Saturday’s gutsy 19-point triumph over Gordon their fifth of the campaign.
Briody and his men are gunning to become the first former Lexton Plains club to reach a Central Highlands Football League senior finals series.
If the weekend’s performance can be maintained, you’d have to think the Saints are a legitimate chance.
“I think we need to play at that level to be a competitive force, to make the eight. Now we’ve got it back in our hands,” Briody said on Saturday.
“Last week, we were in the destiny of other clubs and we don’t want that. We want to have control of our own destiny.”
Briody said the Saints, four points outside the eight in 10th spot on the ladder, were catching opposition teams off guard; those that weren’t offering them enough respect.
“It has happened with Creswick and it has happened with Gordon,” he said. “They thought we were pushovers. These boys have improved, I’m telling you.”
While there was jubilation from Carngham-Linton players and supporters – in what was the club’s first home game at Snake Valley in nine years on Saturday – the Gordon crew was left to rue another momentum-halter.
The Eagles, regarded by many as among the better teams in the competition, are yet again sitting outside the top eight.
Gordon has been no higher than eighth in 2013, spending just four weeks inside the finals bracket.
“We know we can match any team in the league, but unfortunately we can drop to play that sort of game,” Gordon senior coach Corey Grills said after Saturday’s defeat.
“We didn’t make the most of our opportunities.”
The Eagles have a tough assignment against Daylesford this weekend, before a favourable stretch that includes Ballan, Learmonth, Rokewood-Corindhap and Illabarook, that could make or break their season.
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