Although a win was never in doubt, Lalor had to fight to beat bottom-of-the-ladder Mernda in division 2 of the Northern Football League on Saturday.
In fact the Demons, still searching for their first points of the season, started the better and led by four points at quarter-time.
With both teams coming off a bye, the Bloods finally switched on after the first break and on more than one occasion looked likely to run away with the game.
And while Mernda was generally able to keep pace with Lalor, the final minutes of each quarter proved the difference as the Bloods won 17.23 (125) – 9.13 (67).
Bloods captain Shannon Smith was happy with the win.
“We were slow [in the first quarter] coming back from the break. It’s hard coming back from the bye,” he said after the game.
“As the game went on we switched on and took control. We linked up better and were talking a lot more.
“[But] credit to them [Demons], they backed themselves.”
Shane Jacobs in the middle and Jason Kelly in the ruck were the best for the Bloods.
Smith said that even though his side was second on the ladder, they didn’t want to get too far ahead of themselves.
“We’ve got to continue to do one per centers,” he said.
For Demons coach Brett Wilson, there were lots of positives from the game.
“We never gave up effort,” he said.
“We had at least seven under-19’s playing and with kids you are going to get inconsistency. The instruction was to take the game on and take risks and play with a bit of speed.”
It has been a tough start to the season for the Demons, who are the only division 2 team without a win.
“It has been a challenge,” Wilson said.
“Injuries are taking their toll and we had about eight players missing [on Saturday].
“We had a lot of retirees, players going overseas and were hurt by the money factor.
“Once the first win comes it will start to flow on. We need to play for four quarters.
“[Relegation] is at forefront of the mind. We are just concentrating on the first win and educating the team.”
Thomastown and Whittlesea were among the other winners in division 2, while Epping won in division 3.
