By Trevor Jackson
Robe 12.5 (77) d Port MacDonnell 10.13 (73)
Port MacDonnell would be ruing missed opportunities in front of goal as they went down to a tough Robe side in Round 6 of Mid South East football on Saturday.
It was the closest game of the round and could have gone either way.
The Demons had a bit to play for, with their first home game of the year after renovations to the ground pre-season had taken longer than hoped.
With more scoring opportunities overall, the Demons were right in the contest but the Roosters were more productive in front of goals, with just five behinds at the end of the day to Port MacDonnell’s 13.
The four-point final margin kept fans on the edge of their seats right to the final siren, as fortunes fluctuated on the stiff coastal breeze.
The Demons held a slender five-point lead at the first break, kicking with some advantage from the strong breeze.
Kevin Thomson was in good touch early, showing his class with a goal from the boundary which he drifted in on the breeze and the Demons were up and about, looking every bit a challenger.
However, the Roosters turned their fortunes around on the breeze in the second quarter to take an eight-point lead to the long break but again the wind played its part in the third term.
The home side put on another three majors while holding the visitors to just one and reclaimed the lead as a result.
A seven-point advantage was always going to be tough to defend in the conditions but the Demons looked up to the task.
The tall timber of Will MacDonald and Tim Sullivan were having an effect but the Roosters were not about to give up the chance to claim a win over the reigning premiers and further consolidate their position towards the pointy end of the ladder.
In the end it was a matter of perseverance and the Roosters continued to fight the game out until the final siren, with the four-point victory a welcome return for effort on a tough day for football.
In front of goals Thomson led with five majors, while Tim Sullivan was the only other Demon with multiple goals, with two to his name.
For the victors Kaden Woodward stood up with three goals, while Fred Batzias, Joel Bryant and Jack Kelly kicked two each.
Robe was well served by coach Thomas Wachtel, along with Woodward, Kelly, Jasper Barritt and Bryant.
Port MacDonnell’s best included Mark Smith with his usual tough brand of football, along with Kyall McClean, MacDonald, Sullivan, Ben O’Dine and Jake Schleter.
