The Narooma Lions consolidated top spot on the ladder and, in the process, took a big step towards erasing the pain of last year's grand final loss in round seven of SCAFL action.
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The Lions journeyed down the highway to Pambula on Saturday to take on the league's reigning premiers, desperate to maintain the momentum they had gathered with three wins on the trot.
And while Pambula has not been a happy hunting ground for the Lions in recent years, Narooma showed the spirit necessary to propel it to a drought-breaking 21-point victory.
Kicking into a fierce wind in the opening term, the Lions managed to take a six-point buffer into the first change, with Simon ‘Butters’ Mackie kicking two goals.
Jacob Breed, Tom Clarke, Jeremy Sly, and Luke Talty were busy as usual, winning clearances and driving the ball forward, while Jack Clothier and Michael Sadler provided plenty of counter punches with their rebound off half back.
With the wind at their backs, the Lions established a three-goal lead by halftime, and it was a margin that they held onto for the remainder of the hard-fought contest.
Narooma coach Jason Sauiluma said the result was particularly satisfying for his team.
“Losing the grand final to Pambula last year, there was always a feeling that we needed to level the score,” he said. “It was actually pointed out after the match that that was the first time we had beaten them at Pambula in about 10 years.
“They play their home ground really well – it's always tough to play there when it's windy.
“We really needed to start well, and to get that two or three goal buffer early was really important because the rest of the game was a bit of an arm wrestle.
“Coming off a terrific fightback the week before, the boys showed a lot of spirit and it was great to break that hoodoo.”
Sitting atop the ladder ahead of this weekend's general bye, with a trip to Tathra coming up in round eight, Sauiluma said every win was critical.
“The top four is extremely even,” he said. “There is never more than a few goals in it either way, so any team is capable of winning on its day.
“We know it's going to stay that way all the way through to the finals, so it's a matter of keeping the boys motivated to produce their best footy every week and to continually improve.
“With a week off we'll look to get a bit more run in the legs and prepare to take on Tathra over there.
“They have a smaller ground that they play well, so we'll adjust our training to suit.”
Narooma 13.7 (85) defeated Pambula 10.4 (64)
Reserve Grade
A first quarter surge from the home team put paid to any hopes Narooma's reserves had at Pambula on Saturday.
The Panthers kicked with a strong wind in the opening term and slammed on seven goals to build a 37-point lead by quarter time.
The Lions were more than competitive from that point on, but the damage was done, and Pambula reigned supreme by 54 points.
Stephen Brown was strong in the ruck, Tyson Mikolik showed plenty in the midfield, and Colin Fosternally provided a solid target in attack.
But ultimately the Panthers were cleaner with their ball use and played the conditions much better.
Pambula 11.13 (79) defeated Naroooma 4.1 (25)