Lachlan Bramble was the hero for the Calder Cannons, when his come-from-behind goal grabbed victory against the Northern Knights.
The Knights hit the front late in the final quarter of the TAC Cup match at RAMS Arena on Saturday after the Cannons had led from early in the first quarter.
Instead of dropping their heads, the Cannons players responded through Bramble’s goal and then at the defensive end, their pressure prevented the Knights getting a clear shot to snatch the win.
The Cannons won 10.7 (67)-8.14 (62).
They entered the game as favourites, but coach Andrew Johnston knew they wouldn’t have it all their own way.
He said the Knights were a better team than their ladder position and win-loss ratio would suggest.
“They have some quality players and we knew they would be up and about,” he said.
“This is like their finals … credit to our boys, who played well.”
The Knights weren’t without their chances, especially in the second quarter when they were left to rue poor kicking at goal.
“They probably shot themselves in the foot by not kicking straight and our guys were able to kick a lot straighter,” Johnston said.
“It was 7.2 to 2.7 at half-time. We put the work in early to give ourselves a chance.
“We couldn’t sustain that for four quarters, unfortunately, and they were able to come back and put some real pressure on us.”
Johnston said the way his side had run out games in recent weeks gave him confidence his players could fight back after losing the lead and despite the Knights appearing to have more run at the weekend.
“Earlier in the year, you’d have guys in this competition who would put their heads down and all of sudden they get run down and lose by a couple of goals.
“To our credit, some of the leaders really stepped up. Bramble took control and finished it off.”
Liam Middleton, Tom Burnside and Muhammad Saad kicked two goals each in a forward line missing Karl Brown who made his debut with Coburg in the VFL.
Despite missing Brown, the Cannons still looked dangerous when going forward, with Johnston liking the work of Burnside, Mitchell Lewis and Noah Balta.
The win was the Cannons’ fifth in a row. They have a bye this week.
“We were 0-4 and we needed to try and even the ledger which we did last week and now we’re in front,” Johnston said.
“I think the boys have worked hard the last two months, so to have a week off this week will be to our advantage.”
