It was a final quarter disaster for Avenel in their round 14 clash against Merrigum, but strong second and third quarter showings meant they avoided a third loss for the season.
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The Swans were in a strong winning position at the final break, boasting a 47-point margin.
But after failing to add to its 14 majors, as well as conceding four to the Bulldogs, the Swans came away with a slimmer 23-point win.
‘‘Merrigum were always going to come back and have crack,’’ Avenel coach Kasey Duncan said.
‘‘We were without a bench for most of the second half and we ran out of legs. But credit to our strong second and third quarters that got us over the line.’’
Avenel’s earlier dominance was enough to sew up the four points, with Duncan putting the lead down to his team’s ability to hit up the forward line and take strong marks inside 50.
‘‘Angus Durnan was super,’’ Duncan said. ‘‘He kicked six goals in the second quarter, which was fantastic to watch.’’
Durnan added another major to take his tally to seven for the day, while further up the field it was Jack Myers and Braydon Avola who starred through the midfield.
Half-backs Michael Morgan and Michael Tinkler were also instrumental in win, but in a major blow for the Swans, full back Sam Durnan went down with an injured hamstring.
As a pillar of Avenel’s defence, Durnan is set to miss up to four weeks, but the club is hopeful of his return ahead of finals.
In the meantime, the Swans will look to other players to fill the void left down back.
‘‘We should be right,’’ Duncan said.
‘‘Rhys Saultry has put his hand up for that role.’’
Avenel will return to its home venue this Saturday to host Violet Town, in what is the first of two games against the club in the next four weeks.
Violet Town is coming off a massive 224-point flogging from competition leader Tallygaroopna and with Kyle Maynard and Garrett Davies returning for Avenel, the Swans will be hoping to inflict the same sort of pain on the Towners.
While a boost in percentage could be the difference between Avenel finishing second or third, Duncan was adamant it was the win that would be at the forefront of his players’ minds.
‘‘We’ll control what we can — and that is putting wins on the board,’’ Duncan said.
●Avenel’s reserves squad solidified its position in the top two with another comfortable win on Saturday. The Swans ran out 59-point winners against Merrigum, with Jake Sutherland bagging nine goals and Tyler Peacock judged best afield.
Final score: Avenel 14.10 (94) def Merrigum 11.5 (71)
Goal-kickers: A. Durnan 7, J. McDonald 2, B. Avola 2, D. Giles, M. Berry, M. McKenzie
Best: B. Avola, M. Tinkler, M. Morgan, J. McDonald, A. Durnan, J. Smith-Williams
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