From Ballarat Courier
Reported by David Brehaut
Full Article Click Here
NORTH BALLARAT had the win it needed to have in the Victorian Football League at Eureka Stadium Ballarat yesterday.
The Roosters kept a persistent Coburg Tigers at arm's length by 22 points to retain their hold on second position.
Getting home 15.13 (103) to 12.9 (81) was nothing to get carried away with.
However, it was a vast improvement on their unexpected loss to Werribee eight days earlier.
Coach Gerard FitzGerald commended the Roosters on their capacity to handle the disappointment and implications of the below-par performance against Werribee.
"We beat the team we needed to beat."
He said the win meant North Ballarat could continue to control its own destiny.
North Ballarat desperately wants to finish in the top two, giving it the frontrunning for a home final.
The Roosters are just percentage behind ladder leader Williamstown and a game and percentage clear of Casey Scorpions with two rounds to go.
Casey only just stayed in touch, coming from 44 points down to Gold Coast at half-time to salute by four points on Saturday.
North Ballarat has ninth-placed Sandringham at home and 11th-placed Geelong away to play in the remaining rounds.
The Richmond-aligned Coburg was always snapping at North Ballarat's heels on a ground, which despite being the venue for a Ballarat Football League fixture on Saturday, provided dry weather conditions.
North Ballarat laid the foundation for the victory with a six-goal burst in the opening 16 minutes to lead by 33 points.
Coburg made a run at the Selkirk Roosters in each quarter, but the Tigers were ultimately made to pay for their sluggish start.
Coburg's pace was a constant headache for North Ballarat, which still has plenty of work to do if it is to be at its peak in the finals.
North Ballarat let itself down with a string of turnovers through the midfield, which opened up the game for Coburg.
However, the Rooster defence stood firm and the Tigers missed their opportunity for an upset.
North Ballarat lost key forward Josh Smith before the match with a strained calf.
He was replaced by Grant Bell, who kicked the opening goal of the day.
This caused a reshuffle in attack, with North Ballarat Rebels youngster Marcus Darmody making the most of his opportunity as the 23rd player to kick three goals.
Then the Roosters lost Dan Feery in the third quarter after he received a crack on the nose.
The old guard of Shaune Moloney, Matt Sharkey and Marc Greig, with the support of Marcus White, led the way for the Roosters in the backline on a day when Coburg was never completely out of the match.
North Melbourne's David Hale lifted his work rate in the ruck to help Myles Sewell and Steve Clifton give some bite at stoppages.
