By Tyler Lewis
Vermont: tick.
Noble Park coach Steve Hughes is big on themes of the week and after dismantling Vermont in round three he urged to his players to answer the big question.
Was that performance an abnormality?
Despite a slow start, the Bulls answered their coach’s question in commanding fashion on Saturday, overrunning the Eagles on their home patch, 12.19 (91) to 7.6 (48).
The Bulls were tested, leading by less than a kick at the end of both the first and second quarters, which ultimately led to Hughes doing something he has done only once before – tag.
“I think we sustained what we were already doing,” he said of what changed in the second half.
“I thought our pressure was excellent, it’s a small ground Vermont, I thought we were good all day to be honest, from minute one all the way through.
“Vermont possibly dropped off a bit with their ability to absorb that, I think our pressure was sustained and we were able to break them down.
“They’re quite young, they have a lot of players out, they came with real energy and enthusiasm and we were able to grind them down and the game opened up for us in the second half.
“That combined with putting Ant Marson onto Lachie Johns, he was carving us up for the first half, I wouldn’t say he completely blanketed him, but he nullified him and probably took his impact out of the game.”
With a midfield as deep as any other in the competition, Hughes explained why he chose Marson as his weapon of choice.
“I have tagged twice in the best part of two years, one was Tom Maloney out at Norwood about a year ago and we gave Ant the job (that day as well),” he said.
“It’s interesting… guys that you trust to tag are typically honest, hard-working, disciplined, very coachable and Ant ticks all of those boxes.
“He is that type that is very selfless, I think you need to be when you’re going to be a tagger, or given that job, I guess to forget about your own game and lock down on a really good player.
“He did a really good job on Tommy Maloney and that obviously builds trust, so he is I guess our go-to when we need to shut down a player.
“Not that we want to do it every week, but when the game ebbs and flows, we know we have Ant to help us with those jobs.”
The Bulls – like most clubs – have had a horror run against Vermont, but with two wins against the Eagles in 2022, Hughes admits his side is starting to build confidence ahead of a big finish to the year.
“From a coaching perspective, you do look for themes most weeks, just to keep the group up and our theme this week was whether round three was a flash in the pan,” he said.
“As well as making a new identity for us as a club, you know Vermont have bashed us up, like they have bashed a lot of club’s up for the best part of a decade.
“So, we wanted to really stand up and get the two wins, we’re not sure whether we will or won’t see them again this year, but I guess it’s a box ticked and a goal as a group.
“The confidence is definitely building, but we also have a lot of room for improvement.”
In other matches; Rowville defeated Blackburn 11.13 (79) to 6.12 (48) and Doncaster East overpowered Berwick 11.16 (82) to 1.6 (12).
South Croydon defeated Norwood 13.13 (91) to 7.8 (50), Park Orchards belted North Ringwood 17.12 (114) to 12.6 (78) and Balwyn did as it needed too against Doncaster 13.13 (91) to 10.9 (69).
LADDER: Rowville 40, Noble Park 36, Balwyn 32, Doncaster East 28, South Croydon 28, Blackburn 22, Park Orchards 20, Vermont 20, Norwood 16, Doncaster 12, Berwick 10, North Ringwood 0.
FIXTURE: Balwyn v Blackburn, South Croydon v Rowville, Park Orchards v Noble Park, Norwood v Vermont, Doncaster v Berwick, Doncaster East v North Ringwood.
