MDU flicks ‘attitude’ switch for big finish

EVERYTHING was on the line if Mirboo North were to keep slender finals’ hopes alive at Meeniyan on Saturday, and they played like it, leading MDU by 11 points at half time with their defenders frustrating the Demons’ attack and Justin Pellicano strong-arming the onballers.

But there were green shoots for MDU just prior to the half time siren when Meeniyan-Dumbalk’s onballers took care with their passes out of the centre for a change and finally hit up Darren Sheen laces out on the lead.

With a very nice kick for goal from the angle, he closed the gap and MDU went into the rooms with a skip in their step, and a game plan.

Up to that point, the visitors seemed to have the answers, not only each time MDU managed to score, but with Joel Lambourn and Julian Blackford double teaming the prolific Sheen and getting plenty of drive down the ground from the likes of Hudson Kerr, Damien Turner in everything, Max Woodall, Darcy Brock on the ball or up forward, the big ruckman Patrick Lewis handy on the ball and in attack, Rhys Kratzat also creative up forward and Beau Peters.

MDU was certainly holding their own in general play to half time but time and time again they turned over possession with poor delivery or lack of effort but they turned that around quickly after half time.

Sam Wilson started the ball rolling with a shot on goal in the first seconds after the restart, before Wayne Stewart passed to Tim Harris for a goal. 

They hit the post next and Mirboo North went on the attack but MDU’s defence looked better organised with Jayden Deas, Nathan Allen, Joel Leeden, Shaye Walsh and Sam Wilson doing well in defence.

It was an arm-wrestle but finally MDU got reward for effort when Brendan Tomada kicked a nice goal from the angle and Sheen might have had another, after good lead up work by Nathan Allen, Jess Hickey and Wilson.

At the last break, Demon’s coach Nathan Allen said he liked the team’s response to the first half, stressed “attitude” and asked for more of the same. 

They put on seven goals to two, more than doubling their score, and went away looking like a team sitting third on the ladder rather than ninth.

A mark and 50m penalty to Jake Brydon, who’d been a goer all day for the Demons up forward got things going, Joel Sinclair kicked the next a minute later, after a courageous mark by Tim Harris, and while Pelicano pulled one back against the run of play, the result was already beyond doubt.

Sheen and Stewart joined the party and while Mirboo North scored one of their own a terrific goal from the boundary by Brydon was the coup de grâce, and celebrated as such.

MDU has a bye and a game against Toora to round out their preparation but will have to bring the second-half attitude with them if they want to go deep into the finals, which they are quite capable of doing.