The Northern Blues have been convincingly defeated by the North Ballarat Roosters by 112 points at Eureka Stadium.
The Blues were no match for the rampant Roosters, going down 20. 15. (137) to 2.13. (25) in a grubby affair in slippery conditions.
The Blues were firmly on the back foot from the start of the game kicking into the wind: this was emphatically shown on the scoreboard, registering only two behinds in the first quarter.
The Roosters capitalised, and by quarter-time held a 40-point lead, which would all but set the tone for the proceeding three quarters.
Glenn Strachan registered his side’s first goal - one of only two for the day - halfway through the second term, providing a brief moment of respite on an otherwise torrid day for Northern.
By the third quarter, the Roosters held an emphatic 112-point lead, borne largely from their ability to weave through the Blues in midfield and find loose options up forward.
Robin Nahas was the chief instigator on the scoreboard for the Roosters, terrorising Northern’s defence to finish with seven goals for the game (six to half-time) from his 16 dispospals.
Brad Walsh was a ray of light for the Blues, adjudged as his side’s best by his coaches after gathering an impressive 29 disposals. He was followed by Mark Whiley (26 disposals), while Daniel Watson marked his first VFL game in over a year with 21 possessions.
The positive to come from the game was the return from injury for veteran Carlton utility Andrew Walker, who got through his return from a knee injury unscathed.
The Blues ultimately had too few contributors on the day, as the Roosters dominated possession despite the best efforts of Walsh and Whiley in midfield.
North Ballarat skipper Myles Sewell finished with 30 disposals, setting the tone for his side whose dominant performance sees them leapfrog the Blues on the VFL ladder.
While Northern could only muster two goals for the game (kicking an inaccurate 2.13), the Roosters’ ascendancy was highlighted through their 11 individual goalkickers.
Walker, whose return to the side from his six-week injury layoff was marked with a 20-disposal game, said there wasn’t a lot that went right.
“We didn’t adapt to the conditions,” Walker said.
“We’ve got to instill some confidence in everyone: it’s a funny game when everyone is up and about, when everyone’s feeling confident, the skill level lifts and we look a whole lot fitter,” Walker said.
“We need to have a good week on the track and have some real confidence going into next week’s game.”
The loss now places the Blues in 14th position on the ladder,with four games remaining in the season.
Next week holds an opportunity of redemption for the Blues, who face Collingwood in a historic curtain-raiser at the MCG prior to the Collingwood-Carlton Round 19 AFL clash.
NORTHERN BLUES 0.2 1.4 1.7 2. 13. (25)
NORTH BALLARAT 6.6 9.10 18.10 20. 15. (135)
GOALS
NORTHERN BLUES: Ellard, Strachan
NORTH BALLARAT: Nahas 7, S. Hooper 3, A. Hooper 2, Black, George, Hoy, Keeble, Peters, Preuss, Sewell, Tsitas.
BEST
NORTHERN BLUES: Walsh, Whiley, Ellard, Kilpatrick, Walker, Jones
