Sport
27 August, 2025
Rats go through season undefeated
Ararat overcame a first-quarter deficit to defeat Nhill by 56 points and go through the home and away season undefeated at Alexandra Oval in round 18 of the Wimmera Football Netball League.
Ararat was on top in the first five minutes, hitting the early lead, but Nhill started to find their groove soon after, kicking four goals to two to take a 12-point lead into quarter-time.
The Rats regrouped at quarter-time and came out strong in the second term, kicking five goals to one behind to take a 20-point lead into half-time.
The Tigers showed why they finished second on the ladder, bouncing back in the third quarter, not letting Ararat run away with the match, to trail by 24 points at three-quarter time.
The Rats, who have struggled in the last quarter on some occasions this year, ran the game out strongly in the last, kicking six goals to one to run out 15.15.105 to 7.7.49 winners.
Ben Taylor was outstanding for the Rats, kicking four goals and getting a lot of the ball through the midfield. Matthew Spalding joined in on the action with three goals, while Henry Shea and Tom Williamson were the other multiple kickers with two.
Cody Lindsay dominated the ruck against Daniel Batson, while Harry Ganley continued his great form, creating a lot of drive. Hugh Toner, Matthew Spalding and Brayden Draffin were also among the Rats' best players.
Rats coach Tom Mills said it was pleasing to see the boys dominate after quarter time.
“I think we had control of the game, but parts of the first quarter, our skills were poor,” Mills said.
“We let them get the ball too easily and they are a quick side, but we restricted that and started to play our best from quarter-time onwards.
“We are going to be challenged a lot in finals, and to be able to respond the way we have is pleasing to see.”
Mills spoke highly of Ben Taylor’s game.
“He was awesome. They tried to tag him in the first quarter, but he is a super fit player that can run hard all day, and hard to keep up with him, and he showed that on the weekend,” Mills said.
The Rats now have a week off and will prepare to face the winner of Nhill and the Southern Mallee Thunder at Minyip Recreation Reserve next weekend.
Mills said they will continue to train hard.
“We had a bye not that long ago, and the blokes are feeling good, so we will be training hard to keep the momentum going,” Mills said.
“Having all our football teams in finals is also good, especially the reserves, as it means there are a lot of people who turn up to training, and there are six or seven blokes knocking on the door.”
Even though the Rats have won the last two flags, going through the season undefeated is a massive feat, and when asked how to keep the players grounded, Mills highlighted the strength of the competition.
“We know it’s not going to be easy come finals, as anything can happen, and you need to play at your best,” Mills said.
“The last two or three rounds, the top five have shown that anyone can beat anyone on their day, so you have to go out there prepared to be challenged and need to play your best, because who knows what can happen.”
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