The Burras saved their best till last in their crucial victory over Stawell at Minyip on Saturday.
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Minyip-Murtoa came home with a wet sail to beat the Warriors 11.10 (76) to 7.8 (50).
The match was tightly contested from the get-go, with Stawell trailing by just five and eight points respectively at the end of the first two breaks.
Third quarters have plagued the Warriors this season, but they were able to win the term and cut the margin to six points to stay within reach of the home side going into the fourth period.
Just one goal from six scoring shots cost the Warriors a chance at holding the lead going into the final term.
Stawell coach Jamie Solyom said this phase may have cost his team in the end.
“It was a game of missed opportunity, if had have capitalised on that passage we might have gone one or two in front,” he said.
With back-to-back losses to their name, the Burras dug deep for a big finish to the match.
They booted five goals to Stawell’s two to snap their losing streak and run away with a 26-point victory, their first win in more than a month.
Minyip-Murtoa coach Damian Cameron said it is a relief to be back on the winners list.
“We are pretty happy to have the four points after a bit of a slump,” he said.
“Having the bye last weekend probably did help us be a bit fresher to finish the game strongly.
“It felt like we were in control for a lot of the match but there were patches here and there where we let them back in.”
Cameron said his side’s defensive efforts were much better than in recent weeks.
“We had a lot of tackles and smothers which really got us up and about,” he said.
John Delahunty kicked one goal to go with is best on ground performance for Minyip-Murtoa.
Clinton Midgely and Matt Coleman were also impressive for the home side, while Brayden Ison booted three goals on the day.
“Having John back in the midfield is big for us and Matt (Coleman) in the ruck has been great as well,” Cameron said.
“Warwick Stone led and the rest of our backline also did a great job all day.”
It felt like we were in control for a lot of the match...
- Damian Cameron
The usual suspects were among Stawell’s best once again, with Naish McRoberts named as his team’s best for the fourth time this season.
Tom Taurau and Jackson Dark were also named in the top three for the Warriors, the fifth time they have done so this season.
Solyom said despite coming away with a loss he was pleased with what he saw from his side.
“I thought we played a great game of football, it was just 15 minutes in the middle part of the final quarter which hurt,” he said.
“We switched off for 15 minutes but other than that the boys tried their guts out. It shows we are getting better and closer to the standard we need to be at.”
The result has had massive implications for the ladder positioning, with Stawell slipping to seventh while the Burras move into the all important fifth place at the end of eight rounds.