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QUEENSCLIFF coach Tom Limb can breathe a sigh of relief after his Coutas registered their first win of the season over a gallant Anglesea on Saturday, 12.11 (83) to 11.8 (74).
From the deadlock at quarter time until the final siren, the margin never reached beyond two goals, which was indicative of the hard work that the reigning premiers had to put in to secure the four points.
The match became a tactical battle after the first break. Free-flowing footy produced a combined 10 goals in the first term, but only 13 more were kicked for the rest of the match as both sides applied consistent tackling pressure.
Limb, having watched footage of the Roos against Barwon Heads, was ready for the physical presence that the home side would bring and planned accordingly.
The Coutas’ ability to drop players back in the final quarter, combined with the premiership experience of their top-line players, arguably got them over the line.
“We just wanted to work hard both ways — that was our main focus,” Limb said after the match.
“Something we really needed to work on as a side was making sure we got back to help our defenders and got to that fall of the footy.
“It’s a credit to the side that we were able to work back and get those numbers there — it’s something that we haven’t been too strong at the last few weeks.”
Queenscliff’s horror run of injuries was compounded on Saturday, as Jake Lindrea (ankle) and Eddie Grout (leg) both suffered match-ending injuries.
The Coutas ran with two on the bench for almost the entire second half, made worse by the fact that goal sneak Jayden Durran was a late withdrawal.
It allowed some new faces to step up in the absence of others.
Teenager Zac Henderson held down the back pocket with aplomb, while Chris Goullet had his best game in red, white and blue having moved to the Coutas this season.
“We’ve got no control over that sort of stuff (injuries). We’ve just got to keep building each week,” Limb said.
“I think some of the new guys were fantastic today.”
Limb reinforced his belief that his team was travelling in the right direction after its first victory, and that the playing group didn’t allow themselves to become upset after three consecutive losses.
“It possibly does relieve a bit of pressure … it’s just fantastic to get a win on the board and hopefully we’ll start to build,” Limb said.
The Coutas’ opening three rounds of Drysdale, Ocean Grove and Geelong Amateur — all finalists from last year — would have been tough for any club. It was simply because of the stature and recent success of the club that its losses were put in the spotlight.
“Last week (against Amateur) we were quite happy with the output that we had,” Limb said, proving that much can be taken from those initial losses.
“I mean, we lost by 10 goals so you’re never 100 per cent satisfied with that, but I thought the guys had a go and that’s all we could ask from them.
“You obviously want to win (though), don’t get me wrong, and it’s fantastic to walk away with a win today.”
