Match result: Werribee 10.11.71 defeated North Ballarat 8.12.60
Venue: Avalon Airport Oval
Conditions: Bit of rain, bit of sun, bit of wind; standard Melbourne winter’s day

Story of the game

Werribee finally broke its seven-game losing streak against North Ballarat on Saturday.

The Tigers booted six goals in the first term to lead by 19 points.

Will Fordham was influential, providing Werribee with plenty of run and carry. He racked up seven first quarter disposals.

The Roosters battled their way back through the middle part of the game, reducing the margin to four points.

All the pressure was on Werribee, But Declan Mountford’s snap late in the third quarter was a crucial one, giving John Lamont's team valuable breathing room.

Then it was time for Braydon Preuss to stand up. Spending some time forward in the final quarter, the big man pulled down a great mark and converted to give the Tigers a 16-point lead.

The Tigers notched their fifth win of the season, running out victors by 11 points.

The coaches said

“It was good to get a win; it’s been a while since we’ve been able to do that. I think when we were challenged late in the game, it was good to see that the boys were able to hold fast and stick to what we wanted to do.

“To ground out a tough win in the end just made it good to be on the board again. We used the advantage of the breeze early and (a good start) was something we hadn’t had in the last few weeks.” – North Development Coach David Loader

North players in action

- Sam Durdin
- Will Fordham
- Ben McKay
- Declan Mountford
- Robbie Nahas
- Daniel Nielson
- Braydon Preuss
- Joel Tippett
- Corey Wagner

*Full stats will be available approximately 24 hours after the time of publishing

Best of the AFL

Declan Mountford

It was another tagging role well done for Mountford, continuing on after last week's job on Geelong's George Horlin-Smith.

This week his task was to quell Liston Medal winner Nick Rippon, and he did so while also being able to contribute to Werribee’s forward attacks.

“Dec was outstanding today, he had a big job on Nick Rippon who's a terrific player and he did a great job for the team, really went to work on Nick so another big plus coming out of the game this week for Dec." - David Loader

Best of the VFL

Matt Hanson – Providing his customary run through the middle while also winning his own ball, Hanson was one of the best players on the ground.

Points of interest

1. As Mountford continues his learning experience as a tagger, he’s being exposed to different areas of the game and growing as a player.

“For Dec to start the psychological battle that goes with a matchup is important. So there are things like getting on top early, making sure he keeps that advantage.

“We think these block of games will be good to work on those sorts of things, and then we have to make sure we’re looking after him and making sure he’s getting a bit of ball himself.

“His physical attributes suggest he’ll be able to do that. It’s going to be really good for him," development manager Ben Dyer said.

2. It was a challenging outing for Joel Tippett, with North Ballarat’s undersized forward line meaning he had to play smaller than he normally does. He faced the challenge well, marshaling Werribee’s backline and leading it to one of its best team performances for a number of weeks.

“He was not only able to look after his own opponent, but he was able to fill some space (in front of other opponents) as well.

“It was a bit of a unique circumstance, but it was good for him to play a bit higher and adapt to that well, it was a good result in the end,” Dyer said.

3. As Daniel Nielson continues to get regular game time into his legs, his defensive efforts came in for praise.

“It was a really effective stopping sort of game. His opponent got nowhere near it, and then he went onto (James) Keeble late, and I don’t think Keeble touched it in the last quarter.

“We’re really happy with his one-on-one defending and his closing speed is strong. The next evolution in his game will be to come off and help others in the air,” Dyer said.

4. Although conditions didn’t suit the key-position forwards, Ben McKay was still able to provide a presence and a target close to goal, allowing Werribee to blast the ball further afield when under pressure.

“It was a bit of a territory game at times, where a quick kick forward and it was just a good result if you stopped them rebounding.

“If (Ben) didn’t mark it, he was able to bring it to ground and also pressure as well to hold it up until the cavalry arrived.

“That’s the good thing about him, for a big kid he’s quite effective at ground level which will hold him in good stead going forward.” - Ben Dyer

Most likely AFL call-up: Declan Mountford
Next week: Sunday July 31 v Northern Blues at Avalon Airport Oval, 11:40am EST