Cutters strike true to end drought

Blake Keech, who took on the club presidency in the 2024-25 off-season at a difficult time, was jubilant to watch the senior side finally get back on the winners’ list.

“ I don't know what it's like to win a premiership, I've never won one, but I'll tell you what, if it feels like that, I'd love to win one every year,” he said

“It's huge for the club, we won one game in two years and we're celebrating like mad because we've won one game, but unless you're inside the four walls (of the club) you don't understand what we've been doing, how hard it's been, how hard we've been working and everything that we've been trying to do.”

Mathoura got the jump on the Swans at Mathoura Recreation Reserve, leading 35-6 at the end of the first quarter.

Katunga fought its way back through the middle periods, and by three-quarter time it was the visitor in the lead by four points, and the Cutters would slip into a further hole during the fourth before a late rally led them to the win.

“The most exciting part about it was I think they got to around 15 points down with 20 minutes gone in the last quarter and came back, kicked two or three in a row and that's another very pleasing part is that we didn't just lie down and take it,” Keech said.

“A couple of weeks ago we were three or four points down on Katamatite at quarter-time and then we just let them kick nine goals or something in the second quarter because we just expected it to come, whereas this time we had that belief that we could do it.”

Mathoura was actually missing several of its veteran leaders, including Clint Atkinson, one of the recently appointed interim coaches, alongside Clinton McNabb, who took the role after former boss Adam Bourke left the club for work.

Jordy Priestly stepped up in attack, leading the Timbercutters with four goals, while Brody Watts added two.

The club has a week to rest up and bask in the win as the league goes on a general bye, before a promising three weeks of fixtures see the Cutters play the two remaining winless sides, Rennie and Blightly, on July 11 and 25 respectively.

Keech said the club understood what it was up against coming into the year and set realistic expectations as it hopes to build towards a brighter future.

“The key thing for us as a committee is just to get some respect back in the name (of Mathoura),” he said.

“We're not going to go from zero to hero this year, but now we've got the one, we don't take it for granted, we start looking for the second one and then the third and build some momentum going into next year, hopefully.”

Mathoura plays Rennie at Rennie Recreation Reserve on July 11.