Some rough family news for a GDFL coach has emboldened his charges as they dispatched a ‘one-off poor” East Geelong by 30 points.
Bell Post Hill has done it for their coach after senior mentor Justin Tarr received some rough family news during the week, dispatching East Geelong by 30 points.
A 4.4 third quarter from the Panthers set up the round 8 victory, with veteran ruckman Renn Lovitt and Boe Collins instrumental at a slippery Myers Reserve.
Assistant coach Joel Page said Lovitt gave his teammates first use, allowing the Panthers to play the game largely on their own terms.
“Our third quarter was massive, our ruckman Renn Lovitt, he’s probably one of the oldest ruckman in the competition,” Page said.
“He’s in as good a form as I’ve seen.
“He’s walking around like he’s wounded but he keeps cracking in, mate.
“He beat a Whitley medallist today (in Tim McLellan).”
However, the win was all the more special with Tarr dealing with some family issues; something which galvanised the playing group, Page believed.
“He had some pretty bad family news … which has shocked the club and hurt us all a little bit,” he said.
“Internally, the group has lifted from that, just to play for him.
“That’s what footy clubs are about, mate, we lift for each other and play for each other.
“It was pretty good to see a smile on his face today.”
The Panthers got it done despite a nasty head knock to Dylan Witney which curbed his influence after half time, with Page estimating he’d collected around 20 touches by the long break.
He was also pleased to see the Panthers begin the game strongly, disrupting a season-long pattern of slow starts.
“We’ve been chasing arse a little bit every other game and been dictated to by the opposition,” he said.
“It was good to get going early. And it probably started with our backs to be honest.
“Josh Andrews, Caleb Bacely and (Brayden) Staggard. They got on top of their opponents early and really set up play going from there.”
Page suggested East Geelong’s pace might have been curtailed by the slippery conditions but coach Tom Cordner-Maas was having none of it, calling it a “one-off poor” performance.
The Eagles coach also refused to blame injuries, such as his own hamstring setback, for the loss.
“I don’t think we can blame conditions at all. We were just beaten by a better team,” he said.
“We want to pride ourselves on contested ball and we well and truly got taught a lesson today.
“I feel like they were on top from the get go, I just don’t think we ever really got any ascendancy.
“They beat us convincingly all day.
“They dominated the middle of the ground and we just couldn’t get our hands on the ball.
“You’re going to have off weeks, this just turned out to be a really bad one for us.”
Originally published as Bell Post Hill lift to beat East Geelong following sad family news for coach Justin Tarr