RUMOURS of Marong’s demise appear to have been exaggerated.
The Panthers’ 47-point loss at home to Pyramid Hill two weeks ago in which they kicked only four goals was widely seen as a sign that the four-time reigning premiers were on the wane.
At three-quarter time on Saturday, with his team up by five points after leading all afternoon, Bridgewater coach Lachie Sharp pleaded with his players for 30 minutes of utter commitment, leaving nothing left in the tank at game’s end.
It was if he had given that rev-up to the Marong team, as the Panthers responded with a 7.5 last quarter to the Mean Machine’s 3.3.
They just don’t lose twice in a row at Malone Park.
With Michael Bradbury taking control in the ruck and Jimmy Gadsden leading a midfield brigade of hard runners, Marong was dominant from the clearances.
Shaun Knott kicked a miraculous left-foot goal from deep in the left forward pocket to give the Panthers a one-point lead and then a goal square scramble resulted in another goal.
Things were unravelling for Bridgewater, with Knott booting his second for the term after a downfield free kick against Tyson Taylor.
Sharp shifted himself into the middle to try to claw back some momentum, but Marong’s Bradley Matthews nailed a long snap to push the margin beyond three goals.
The Mean Machine fought back with goals to Sharp and Jacob Ellings, but it was too late.
The last roll of the dice saw Oscar McKinley take a fine mark, but he rushed his shot and scored a behind before Cooper Hale kicked the sealer at the other end. Sharp said the last quarter was symptomatic of the times when his team struggled, “We just couldn’t get the ball in our hands.
“We had patches, but we never really got our game going – we’re a better side than last year, but we had an off day.
“We know that we’re better than what we delivered.”
Gadsden was best on the ground, with nobody able to match his speed and agility, while Hale showed his enormous potential as a key forward with four goals.
Sharp booted four of his own with McKinley and Mitch Patten – the two Gold Coast fly-ins – each kicking three.
Joe Mayes was valiant in defence but the avalanche of ball coming into Marong’s forward line in the last quarter was impossible to stem.