It took a half-time spray from the coach – again – and some soul-searching from his players, but Temora found a way to dig themselves out of trouble – again.
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The Kangaroos produced a 66-point turnaround against The Rock-Yerong Creek, recovering from a five-goal deficit at halftime to run out winners, 16.6 (102) to 10.7 (67) at Victoria Park on Saturday.
The Magpies were up by two points at the first break but then took the game by the scruff of the neck, kicking six goals in the second quarter to lead by 31 points.
“They just played some really good footy and we didn’t respond, we sort of let them do what they wanted to do,” Temora’s Luke Gerhard said.
“We come in at half-time and (coach Jake Wooden) got up us a bit. But then he said, ‘have a think about what the club means to you’.
“It was quiet for a while… then everyone went out and responded.”
The Kangaroos kicked all five goals in the third quarter to trail by a point and then powered home with seven goals to one in the last.
Gerhard, who is part of the Roos’ leadership group, said it was the team’s young guns, Will Reinhold, Max Harper and Lachlan Leary who helped start the turnaround.
“Three young blokes gave us that run off half-back and off the wing and we backed our teammates to win the one-on-ones,” he said. “We played the footy we wanted to play and it finally happened.”
Holding the Pies to just one goal in the second half was one of the big positives. But the big question is whether they can carry that form into their next assignment against North Wagga, with the Roos well aware that their inconsistent efforts are a concern just three weeks before finals.
“We said after the game, we can’t be doing that next week obviously and come finals. Good sides will just keep putting the foot on the throat,” Gerhard said.
“We’ve got to find ways to start well and finish well.”
Like last week against East Wagga-Kooringal, it didn’t come easily. But it’s the first time since May that Temora have won two games in two weeks (consecutive victories against Barellan and Coleambally in June were split by a bye).
Reinhold was brilliant for the Kangaroos while Matt Wallis and Mark Breust each finished with four goals.
Todd Hannam kicked four goals in a strong performance for TRYC but was reported in the fourth quarter for front-on contact on Reinhold.
Harri White and Jim Carroll also had big games.
The Magpies travel to Peter Hastie Oval next week to take on the in-form Bushpigs.
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