By Marcus Uhe
A halftime adjustment to their playing style helped Narre Warren make a perfect start to their Outer East premiership defence on Saturday against Pakenham at Toomuc Reserve.
Wayward kicking for goal and poor ball use made for a tight and scrappy first half, before the champs flicked the switch in the second to pull away to a 53-point victory, 12.15 87 to 5.4 34.
Coach Shane Dwyer said change in approach at the half made the difference in the contest.
“I think it was just about hitting targets and taking the right option,” Dwyer said.
“We sort of felt we were kicking to 50-50s a lot when there were obvious easier kicks on.
“We made a point to take the easier kicks and then hit that first one, and then it may open up for us to continue on hitting between centre-half forward and centre-half back.
“Once you get the ball forward of centre, the forwards can get to work a bit, and you don’t have to just bomb it on their heads.”
Both sides displayed that early season rust so customary to a round one performance, with turnovers aplenty between the arcs.
Pakenham kicked the opening two goals of the contest; first from livewire forward Matthew Debruin and then Josh Hagger with a neat finish from a tight angle.
The home side made life tough for the reigning premiers, flooding their backline with extra numbers and swarming the contest whenever the ball hit the deck in their defensive 50, led by Jordan Stewart and Bailey Stiles.
Two goals late in the quarter to the Magpies gave them a slight advantage at quarter-time, but Pakenham didn’t look overawed at all by the occasion.
Their manic pressure in the defensive half of the ground continued into the second term as Narre found it difficult to convert their opportunities in front of goal.
They did make life hard on themselves, however, with Jake Richardson and Will Howe blowing a certain goal after the new captain was unable to connect with Howe closing-in on an open goal.
Debruin added a second, this time a tight snap in the wrong pocket for his right foot after dropping a mark on the lead, and Koby Grass kicked one on the run as they took advantage of a slight breeze towards the cricket club end of the ground.
While entering the sheds with a slender seven-point lead at the long break, 14 scoring shots to the Magpies and seven to Pakenham was an early indication of things to come, with a sense that the dam wall was threatening to burst.
It was the third term in which the Magpies really flexed their muscle, kicking five and holding their opponent scoreless as the ball took up residence in their half of the ground.
There were emotional scenes for the visitors when Brad Scalzo converted from distance.
After missing last year with a knee reconstruction as he was mobbed by his teammates for the traditional ruffling of the hair, and it seemed to provide the spark the Magpies needed.
Tom Miller and Harrison Brain were among those who came into the game more while Tom Toner and Mitch Tonna began to cause havoc in the forward 50.
The connection between Richardson and Howe up forward was looking back to its best, and produced an animated address from Pakenham coach Ash Green at three-quarter-time that could be heard from the balcony at Toomuc Reserve.
Conceding just one and kicking another three in the last quarter, it made for an 8.5 to 1.1 second half in favour of the visitors.
It was the steely defence that particularly pleased Dwyer, particularly with a number of players required to fill roles that weren’t accustomed to.
“We highlighted that after the game, it was fantastic,” he said.
“That’s what you look for when you’re reviewing the game, you look for how we can keep a side to a goal after half time, that’s a really good win for the day.
“We moved a few things around, we pushed a few guys back that hadn’t been playing there.
“It’s a different defence to what we had last year and we had a couple of key defenders out.
“Hayden Johnson hasn’t played a lot of senior footy down there.
“Ryan Patterson, that was his first senior game.
“Dylan Mutimer we moved from the wing to the half-back flank and I thought he was very good.”
Of those missing from the premiership side of last year, Declan Brown is a chance to return next week, but Rhys Dempster will miss the majority of the season after undergoing a shoulder reconstruction.
“As long as we’re winning and playing to a good enough standard that we’re happy with, we’ll have to take that,” Dwyer said.
“With us, it’s ball use. If we’re kicking the ball well, we’re going to be a pretty good side and hard to beat.”
Saturday’s other action in the Premier Division saw Upwey Tecoma handle Gembrook Cockatoo, in the Brookers’ first game in the top flgiht since making the jump post winning the 2022 Division One premiership.
The Tigers kept the pressure on all day with consistent scoring, kicking four goals in three quarters and three in the other as they recorded a 47-point victory, 15.14 104 to 8.9 57.
Prolific forward Myles Wareham continued on his form from last season, leading the way in the forward 50 with three goals for the new kids on the Premier Division block, while fellow 2022 Team of the Year members Brayden Weller and Aaron Firrito were among their bests.
The opening week of fixtures continues next week, with Upwey Tecoma backing-up against Olinda Ferny Creek and Monbulk hosting Woori Yallock on Saturday, before Wandin head to Mount Evelyn in a standalone Sunday clash.
