Cutters surge back on track

Mathoura made a strong start to the fixture, kicking three goals to one in the opening term to lead by 12 points at the first break.

Tocumwal remained in touch as both sides added three majors in the second quarter, but it was in the third that the Cutters put their stamp on the game.

Mathoura kicked eight goals to one in a dominant third period, putting the game beyond doubt as it opened up a 61-point margin by three-quarter time.

With the game decided, both teams took the foot off the gas in the final term, with Mathoura kicking the only goal to establish a final margin of 65 points.

“It was probably our most consistent performance over four quarters,” Mathoura co-coach Tim McCormick said.

“Our focus was really on our start. Tocumwal, (from) what we could gather over the last quite a few games, have probably scored 70 to 80 per cent of their score in the first quarter-and-a-half, so they were obviously a quick-starting side.

“Our focus was to make sure that we tried to quell that and have a bit of ascendancy ourselves, which I think worked, and then after half-time we kicked eight goals in the third quarter to basically put the game to bed, so it was a very pleasing performance.”

The absence of Mathoura’s leading goal-kicker Aron Burns, who averages more than six goals per contest, led the Cutters to deploy Darcy Robinson at full-forward.

He proved a more than capable deputy, taking a page out of Burns’ playbook and kicking seven goals to lead the scoring for the Cutters.

“We were a bit concerned with Aron Burns out,” McCormick said.

“He’s kicked 40-odd goals already this season, so to lose that sort of firepower up forward can sort of disable you a little bit, but having Darcy come in and fill that gap and kick seven was very pleasing.”

The performance earned Robinson a place in the best players list along with best-on-ground Jacob Simpson, David Hand, Lachlan Carmody, Sam McHale and Luka Simpson.

With a fixture against Blighty, a side Mathoura beat handily in round three, on the horizon in the club’s Indigenous round, the 4-3 Cutters could be poised for a push up the ladder in the coming weeks.

“We’ve got a fair bit to play for with hopefully a big home crowd there to support the boys, but we’ve just got to do what we did last time against Blighty and that was start well and control the game and not give them a sniff,” McCormick said.

Mathoura has won three of its past four games, with the only blemish the aforementioned one-point loss to Berrigan last time out.

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The struggles continued for Mathoura’s A-grade netball side who, despite a promising early start, tumbled to a third consecutive defeat at the hands of Tocumwal.

Some good early play saw the Timbercutters hold a slender lead, 11-10, at quarter-time, but the visiting side was unable to maintain its advantage for long.

By half-time, Tocumwal had built a six-goal lead and, in a low-scoring contest, eventually took the game 36-27.

Mathoura is 2-6 for the season, with one of its two wins coming against Blighty, next week’s opponents at Mathoura Recreation Reserve.