ON YOUR BACK: Young’s Sam Herzich tries to bring down Orange’s James Goldsack. Photo: JAIME PRIEST
ALL Orange Tigers coach Joashim Mahon wanted from his troops was a four quarter effort on Saturday against the Young Saints.
That’s all he’s asked for all year.
If they did that, the black and golds would record their second win of the 2012 AFL Central West season and sit themselves comfortably in third after three rounds of the season.
But all Mahon got was one good quarter.
It was still enough for the Tigers to win 12.10 (82) to 10.13 (73), but it wasn’t enough for the Orange side to avoid a massive spray from Mahon at half-time, with a determined Saints unit out-enthusing their more fancied rivals at Orange Ex-Services Country Club Oval.
“They needed one,” Mahon said referring to his half-time speech.
“We just came out looking tired, like we didn’t want to be there. I think we expected to beat Young and they certainly came out and gave it to us. We gave them a chance and they wouldn’t go away.
“We played one good quarter of footy and came away with the win. We were lucky.”
That good quarter of footy came after Mahon’s spray at half-time.
Down 7.6 (48) to 5.5 (35) at the major break, the Tigers responded in the third term to boot five majors to one to head into the final quarter with an 11-point advantage.
By then, though, the damage had been done.
As Mahon said, the Saints didn’t go away, putting in a spirited fight back in the fourth quarter to outscore the home side and narrow the final margin to just nine points.
“They came at us hard in the last quarter but we stuck it out,” Mahon said.
“The most important thing is we won.”
It’s the second week running the Tigers have struggled to put in a consistent effort across four quarters of footy.
Last weekend against Bathurst it cost them.
Luckily against Young, it didn’t.
Strong games from Simon Kay, Varun Wijewardane and three goals from Rhys Goudie helped secure the win.
“Hopefully it’s a wake up call,” Mahon said.
“I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this after losing to Bathurst. I thought that might have fired the boys up a bit.”
Mahon identified tackling and basics skills as areas the Tigers needed to improve on before they take on Cowra in Orange next Saturday.
“And just playing as a team and for each other, not as individuals,” he said.