A MASSIVE 114-point win by the Horsham Demons has put an exclamation mark against their premiership credentials while Stawell stumbled further out of contention.
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Horsham was ruthless from the word go against Stawell as the home side’s only goal came in the final quarter before the game finished 17.20 (122) to 1.2 (8).
Horsham coach Louie Dalziel said he had a good feeling about the game even before the first bounce.
“We had trained well during the week,” he said.
“It felt as though we were setting ourselves for something big and everyone seemed really sharp in the rooms before the first bounce.”
One-way traffic in the first quarter was a sign of things to come.
While the Demons piled on five goals the scoreboard damage could have been much worse had some of the side’s eight behinds been converted. “Inaccuracy is an area that might come back to haunt us at some point,” Dalziel said.
Things were worse for the Warriors in the second quarter. The side failed to add to the single behind it scored in the second quarter as Horsham’s lead grew to 60-points at half-time.
The Demons midfield, led by Simon Hobbs, continued to win the contested ball. Any clearances that Tom Eckel and his Warriors teammates could muster came under immense pressure.
“Our defenders would say their jobs were made a lot easier by the forward and midfield pressure we applied up the ground,” Dalziel said. “Even when it did get down there we were on top. Ben Lakin tore Travis Graham to pieces by simply overworking him.”
Another goalless third quarter was Stawell’s fifth in two weeks. At the other end of the ground Horsham continued to build its lead steadily.
Horsham’s best quarter for scoring came when the side managed 6.3 in the fourth despite Brent Tuckey managing to kick Stawell’s solitary goal.
Dalziel said he was pleased to have a good spread of goalkickers. Ryan Kemp, Deek Roberts and John Wood each kicked four while Tyler Blake added three.
“That is what you need at this point of the season,” he said. “We’re in a position we have a handful of players who can kick anywhere between three and six.”
Hobbs, Blake and Jack Mentha were best on ground for Horsham in the win.
“Our support for each other was a real standout though on Saturday,” Dalziel said.
“It was the willingness to work for each other in order to link up was a real highlight. Overall I just think we played a four-quarter game without any patches which have been a problem for us a times.”