IT was one of the best performances the Tumut Eagles have produced all year, even if it didn’t give them a win.
Competition pace-setters South Wagga came to the Bull Paddock to take on the Eagles on Saturday, and emerged with a 2-1 win, but one they had had to work very hard for.
“Before the game I said to the boys, let’s come out of the game with at least, a performance we can be happy with,” coach Lachlan Anderson said.
“With finals out of reach and a few people playing their last games of the season, we definitely gave a good showing.”
However, he wasn’t 100 per cent happy with the team’s showing.
“We weren’t perfect,” he said.
“Our passing was hit and miss throughout the game, people choosing the hard route and making things more difficult for themselves,” he said.
“But we still created plenty of chances, and had plenty of nice passages of play. We could’ve easily had another goal or two. What I was most impressed with was our overall attitude.”
Anderson was less impressed with South Wagga’s attitude.
“South Wagga didn’t really want to play that much football: it was strange,” he said.
“They were constantly arguing with the referee and assistant ref, falling over easily and constantly complaining. Besides a moment towards the end where two players lost their heads and both teams got a red card, the rest of the group did well not to get dragged into the ridiculousness of what they were doing. Personally if my players did what they were doing, they wouldn’t hear the end of it and training wouldn’t be a fun experience.”
He was impressed with the individual efforts of many of his players.
“There were plenty of good performances over the pitch,” he said.
“Our best was probably Aubrey Petfield. He had a good shift in goal first half, and an exceptional second half in defence. He made multiple interceptions, tackles and was just at the top of his game overall.”
Unfortunately, the Eagles’ Marvin Sing injured his ankle.
“Although it was his last game, it was definitely a disappointing way to end the game for him,” Anderson said.
The game was also a sentimental occasion for the Eagles.
“Mark Graham played his last game for the club after about 35 years of service to the club, starting when he was nine,” Anderson said.
“He became part of the furniture in our senior teams over the years so he will be missed. That was just another thing to motivate everyone, and come out with a performance we could be happy with.”
The Eagles have two games left, Cootamundra at home then CSU in Wagga.
“Again, we just want to cause an upset against Coota, and hold onto sixth spot,” Anderson said.
