NICK Mendes was calm and composed after the siren at Anzac Park to slot a goal from 40 metres out and draw the Ararat Rats level with the Warrack Eagles.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Twice the Eagles found themselves with handy leads during the final quarter of the match, but the sides ultimately had to split the four points when the game ended 12.11 (83) apiece.
Ararat coach Terry Keilar said his side ultimately viewed the result as a win.
“A few weeks back they managed to beat us by more than 10 goals,” he said. “We were very proud of their efforts to come up against the sitting third on the ladder and match their effort throughout the contest. I’m probably most proud of how we stayed with them throughout the game in a four-quarter performance.”
The Eagles started the game off on the right foot by slotting the first two goals of the match before Ararat clawed its way back by quarter-time.
Ryan McKenzie was influential to keep the ball moving forward for his side. The Eagles had an eight-point lead at half-time.
“We made errors during the first half as our kicking let us down but as the game went on we cleaned it up a lot,” Keilar said. “We weren’t over-possessing the ball, which we tend to do. It was one handball release and then moving the ball directly forward. Our tackle count was through the roof – that pressure kept us in the game.”
The game remained tight during the third quarter and the Rats were within a single kick with a quarter to play.
The home team edged ahead by three goals early in the term before Ararat kicked back. The Eagles again edged further ahead courtesy of McKenzie’s fourth goal for the day before Mendes stepped up after the siren.
Keilar said it took a team effort to get the result. “Jayden Wright was really impressive in his third senior game,” he said. “He had the job on Josh Bibby.
“Grady Slocombe also went to McKenzie in the final quarter and reduced his infleunce on the game.”