The Eagles, who drew with Rochester in round 15, have now gone unbeaten in their past nine matches — eight wins and a draw — to rocket into the top-two conversation with two rounds to play.
“We obviously went in expecting to play a pretty good game of footy,” Eagles co-coach Mitch Wareham said.
“We had four big ins, so that obviously gives you confidence.
“From the start we were expecting them to give attention to a few of our boys, so we had to make a few plans around that … I think overall, we just played a really good brand of football, which was the most pleasing thing.”
Mansfield’s confidence was also built on a solid showing earlier in the year, when it lost to the Bombers by 20 points.
“It was probably just the contested ball through the midfield,” Wareham said.
“Last time, in the first half, we were able to be slightly on top through the midfield, so it was about our endurance, how we try and play a four-quarter brand and stay on top as best we could there. That gives us a lot of confidence going forward.”
That focus paid off as the Eagles controlled large parts of the contest and led by 20 points at three-quarter time.
But Kyabram, undefeated through 15 games for a reason, stormed home in the final term.
“Of course there’s always that — playing an undefeated side, you know they’re going to come home strong,” Wareham said.
“But we put the hard yards in early to gain that lead and it gives you confidence going into the final five minutes.
“They’re rolling the dice because you either win it or lose by 40, there’s not much difference.
“We’ve got Dirk Koenen down back, who reads the ball unbelievably, Adam Boshevski, Matt King … we’ve got a great deal of confidence in our back six.”
The result has Mansfield within striking distance of a top-two finish, which would give it a double chance.
“We’ve obviously got a few wise heads in the team, quite a few above 30, so the belief is there for those older guys,” Wareham said.
“But to have a draw against Rochester, who made us look silly earlier in the year, and then to beat Kyabram, I think it shows our under-24 guys that we are the real deal.
“It’s about building that belief amongst the whole 22 rather than 10 to 14 blokes, which is probably the most pleasing thing.”
With matches against Benalla and Shepparton to close the regular season, Wareham knows the challenge is maintaining their best footy across four quarters.
“It’s just that consistency,” he said.
“Even yesterday, we showed we have lapses, so it’s about stemming the flow.
“Over the next two weeks we want to hold ourselves in good stead, play on our terms, and that gives us confidence that we are a good team and we are competitive.”
The win also capped a milestone day for one of Mansfield’s most respected players.
“Brett Mahoney having his 200 — his family’s huge within the football club,” Wareham said.
“He’s been an unbelievable player for the club and the league, so it was great to get a win on a day like that.”
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