East Wagga-Kooringal coach Gavin McMahon is a long way off getting carried away by the Hawks’ early season form, despite a 42-point victory over Marrar at Gumly Oval on Saturday.
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Up by just 12 points at three-quarter time, EWK produced a dominant fourth quarter – restricting the Bombers to a solitary behind – on the way to a comfortable 12.14 (86) to 7.2 (44) victory.
Straight kicking and a solid work ethic kept Marrar in the contest for three quarters but in the end they were lucky the margin wasn’t greater, with the Hawks kicking 6.7 in the final term.
Missed opportunities in front of goal carry extra baggage for EWK after last year’s grand final.
“A lot of those were very kickable and you’ve got to take your chances, whether it’s a round four game or a final,” McMahon said.
There were plenty of positives for the Hawks, including another five goals to full-forward Marc Geppert, the safe return of captain Ben Absolum from injury, and a strong finish for the second week in a row.
It just wasn’t a performance to excite a coach.
“I thought we were steady, at best, today,” McMahon said.
“I was really happy that we ran it out well… (but) we haven’t played good footy yet this season.
“We’ve played our best for a quarter, or a quarter-and-a-half.
“It’s a nice problem to have, without wanting to sound arrogant, because we’re winning.
“But there’s a big gap between our best footy and our worst.”
The Bombers trailed by only a point at the first break and nine points at halftime, before matching the Hawks for goals in the third term.
Veteran Clint Taylor did a good job to limit the Geppert factor while at the other end, Brad Turner bounced back from a goal-less game last week to kick three.
“They don’t have as many stars as some of the other teams but they play a nice brand of footy,” McMahon said.
“When they get it out in the open they really move it well – I think they're a good honest side.”
Billy Mearns was the Hawks’ best, across half-forward, while ruckman Nick Hull might have won a points victory over his opposite Nick Molkentin.
But McMahon described it as a good all-round team effort, with no stand-out performers.
“Everyone had their moments during the day and there were more ups than downs,” he said.
“When we do our basics well, we’re able to put together some really good passages of play.
“It’s just that in between that, there are some really horrific ones. Really horrific.”
They’re the ones they want to get rid of ahead of next week’s trip to Ardlethan to take on the Northern Jets.
