In a hotly-contested clash between the best of the country and city, Seymour footballing duo Jason Cole and Zac Keogh helped Victoria Country reclaim the Brian Moloney Cup over VAFA at IKON Park on Saturday.
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The Vic Country squad, which boasted eight Goulburn Valley League products, trailed for most of the day, before a five-goal final quarter run saw the boys from the bush snare a 17-point win over the VAFA.
Cole, who was named second best-on in the win, said although representative matches were a big commitment, it was ‘‘a good feeling to walk away with the win.’’
Keogh echoed Cole’s statement, admitting he was rapt to get picked in the squad and come away with the win in his first appearance for Vic Country.
Led by coach Danny Frawley, Vic Country failed to shrug off VAFA early in windy conditions, with scores levelled at three apiece at quarter time.
But as the game progressed, Country made sure they were ready to strike when it mattered, turning a seven-point shortfall at three quarter time into a near three-goal victory by the final siren.
And it was somewhat of a country advantage that helped get them there in the end, Cole said.
‘‘Playing in the country, we have big grounds and so does IKON, so our spread on the outside won us the game,’’ he said.
Lining up against the best of the best in Victorian state football, both Keogh and Cole were full of praise for their Country teammates.
‘‘Just the aggression from the boys,’’ Keogh said.
‘‘It was a group effort, everyone stood up to get the win.’’
‘‘I couldn’t say anyone had a bad game,’’ Cole added.
‘‘‘Spud’ Frawley said it was probably the strongest side he’d coached over his three years.’’
Final score: Vic Country 11.15 (81) def VAFA 9.10 (64)
VC goal kickers: C. McCarthy 2, J. Hayes 2, K. Pettifer 2, M. Whiley, S. Michael, S. Dobson, A. Boseley, J. Cole
VC best players: S. Michael, J. Cole, L. Smith, J. Hayes, K. Pettifer, N. Cooper
