Elongated report by Dave MacLellan
The New England Nomads have had their first win in Tamworth for the year beating the Tamworth Swans by a solitary point on a hard No.1 Oval. The Nomads 11-7-73 versus 11-6-72 victory was fitting to a game that was an arm-wrestle throughout the day, as if both sides were being kept on leashes. The score and result mirror one point results that both sides have experienced this season. Apart from this game, there was a Swans-Roos game that finished 74-75 and in round one a Nomads-Roos clash that ended 75-76.

The Nomads were at their strongest for the season as several lost dogs returned to the club from holiday absences. The Nomads adapted to the hard, cracked centre square which promised blood on the knees and could have led to a severed hand. The Nomads led into the quarter time break up by five points in what shaped as a brilliant game to watch for the Tamworth locals and visiting Nomad supporters alike. There was no code or secret to the success, it was the endeavor by all members of the playing list that shone through. The Nomads showed the benefits of harder recent training sessions as the game tested the vitality of each of the twenty-two.

The Swans held the lead in the middle two quarters; taking a five point lead into the main break and maintaining that lead at three quarter time as neither side were able to extend a lead beyond a goal or two at any point. While the first three quarters were close, the final was a scintillating nail-biter; scoring was next to impossible for either side as uncontested possessions were unseen anywhere on the field. Whoever held the lead was constantly checking the rear view mirror to maintain the lead. The pace of the game meant that the side who were able to remain on two legs right up to the siren would be the victors. Yet in their final chance, the Swans yielded. Deep down in the Swans’ forward line, a Swans’ player directed verbal abuse at the umpire and was immediately yellow carded. While leaving the ground this was upgraded to a red card as the dissent continued. The minute-long delay waiting for the player to make his last exit handed the Nomads victory as the siren sounded only seconds later.

The result was a black day for the Tamworth side as it means they will not being playing when the finals begin. The Nomads on the other hand will be well and truly alive when the finals come around. The Nomads currently sit in fourth place, a tiny percentage of 0.38 behind the third-place Gunnedah Bulldogs, who will enter their club’s first finals race. The Nomads best were named as Reid, Frost, R. Whitby, MacLellan, Trotman and Malone but there could have been ten others deserving of being named in the group. There were only two injuries from the Tamworth battleground, ruckman Josh Keogh injuring his shoulder and runner Mitch Ivey who injured his knee. Multiple goal kickers for the Nomads were Glen Northway and Johnathon Frost who both scored three. Glen Northway and Ed Nixon held their nerve to kick truly from set shots in the final term.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 28th, 2008 at 2:38 pm and is filed under Match report. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.