A young Inverell Saints team "hung in there" against an undermanned New England Nomads to begin their 2023 AFL North West campaign on a winning note.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
With the Nomads fielding 16 players, the Saints just had to wear them down.
And that they did.
The early stages of the game were close with the Nomads holding a 5.2-32 to 4.3-27 lead at the end of the first quarter and then a 9.3-57 to 7.10-52 lead at half-time.
But the second stanza was all the Saints.
As the Nomads fatigued, the Saints capitalised and prevented their opponents from scoring another point in the third quarter.
They streaked ahead to win 14.21-105 to 11.4-70.
Although they managed a strong victory, Saints coach Dick Gleeson emphasised there is plenty to work on.
"We kicked pretty bad," he said.
SEE ALSO:
"I think we kicked one goal to seven in the third quarter which could have put the game away."
But he understood the mistakes.
"We have only got one bloke in the starting side over 21," Gleeson said.
"They are 21 and under, they are going to make a lot of mistakes.
"The way they ran out the game was good and they we will pick up experience, which you can't buy.
"The longer the season goes, the better they will get."
The youth in the side means it is an exciting time for the Saints, the majority of them having come through the junior system together.
"They are all close, all mates," he said.
"They all went to school together.
"They are all basically juniors that have come through and they have all come through at once.
"So it is a pretty good position for the club to be in."
The tough thing is there isn't any more coming through with no under 17s in 2023.
"Unfortuantely we haven't got juniors this year," Gleeson said.
"It makes it hard because where are you going to get the line through?"
Make sure you are signed up for our breaking news and regular newsletters