THE Tumut Eagles scored a stunning 2-1 win over arch-rivals Cootamundra at the Bull Paddock on Saturday.
Cootamundra scored 10 minutes into the match, but Tumut replied with a goal of their own half an hour into the first half, and then banged one in at the death to claim the win.
Eagles coach Lachlan Anderson said it would probably be most Tumut players’ highlight of the year.
“It’s Coota, and they are challenging for finals so it was for sure a good feeling,” he said.
“We were disappointed with ourselves last time we played them and that added to the motivation.
“With the smaller squad the players knew that it wasn’t going to be easy and that they needed to give everything, and be smart and play effective. There was no other choice. It maybe took them scoring for us to fully realise that, and as a whole, it was a mature performance.”
Tumut’s ball movement was excellent and the players stuck to it, because it was working.
“First we held the ball for longer periods then the second half was very scrappy; the boys struggled to hold the ball, lots of clearances, and it was lucky that Coota didn’t show too much quality.”
Defensively, Tumut basically gave Cootamundra no chance.
“Martin (Tumut goalkeeper Martin Conteros-Paz) didnt really have to make any saves, which was good because he was carrying an injury,” Anderson said.
Tumut’s performance, however, wasn’t flawless.
“There was a point in the second half, where we realised what we were doing wasn’t sustainable, with about 15 minutes left,” Anderson said.
“From there we put some better moves together which eventually culminated in Zac Martin getting taken down for a penalty, which Jacob Luck confidently slotted away, which was basically the last kick of the game.”
Anderson was reluctant to pick out best players as every player deserved credit because everyone did their job and more.
“Our best were either Sonny Grady and Zac Martin,” he said.
“Sonny was cramping but still put in a great performance in midfield. And Zac was so good on our right wing. His movement was good, he’d pop up in places and make a impact, and Coota struggled to deal with him. Exactly why he won that penalty.
“Third Grade is all either club has in the men’s game this year and to come out with the win definitely adds something special to the season. With one game left, we are still trying to hold onto sixth place, especially since Junee got a surprising win over South Wagga.”
