Last season’s Kyabram District League premiership bridesmaid was slow out of the blocks in the season’s beginning, but with an electric teenage nucleus in the forward line and a dual McNamara medallist’s return, things are coming up trumps for coach Harley Taylor-Lloyd.
The Lakers were hit by a shock Dookie United blitz in the opening 15 minutes of Saturday’s tie, but found a new gear to ramp up the impetus and walk off their home deck 15.12 (102) to 12.5 (77) victors.
Michael Shiels, the 2007 and 2014 league best-and-fairest, made his first appearance since 2021 in the win over the Thunder, while a quartet of thirds charged around the park to lead the fightback.
It leaves Nagambie six points away from top spot and keeps Taylor-Lloyd buoyant as his first year at the helm starts to steady following the campaign’s initial turbulence.
“We’re under no illusions; we’re very undermanned at the moment — they’d call it an eight-point game this early in the season just to stay in touch with them boys up the top,” he said.
“We’ve got enough talent with the kids and they give us a spark, so that’s the best bit.
“We’ve got five or six thirds kids that have debuted this year, so they’re really giving us that spark. They’re going to be the future of the club, mate — they give us everything.”
The 45-point win had the rooms at Nagambie rocking in the post-match, but a quarter of an hour into the contest, that was hardly the case.
Dookie went berserk in front of the sticks, kicking six goals to the Lakers’ one before the hosts steadied and dragged themselves back within 12 points at the opening break.
Young forwards Darby O’Brien, Ryan Coll and Blake Ezard (four goals) cranked the handle going inside the arc and by the main change of ends, Nagambie had a three-goal lead of its own to build on.
Momentum continued to swing the Lakers’ way and Dookie had no second act of its earlier barrage to count on, the Thunder ruing their lack of polish after such a heartening start.
It could’ve been so different and Taylor-Lloyd knew it.
“I think it was just a lapse in concentration at the start,” he said.
“Don’t get me wrong, Dookie looked like Murch for the first 10 minutes from the coach’s box.
“But we managed to peg it back and once we got on our terms, I addressed that we needed to keep playing our way and, when we did, we looked very good.”
Aside from the young contingent, a handful of men stood out in particular for Nagambie.
“Trent Gladwin and Nick Asquith, they’re probably leading the best-and-fairest this year so far. Them two boys have really set up their roles across half-back,” Taylor-Lloyd said.
“Trent, he actually got dropped from the seniors last year, so he’s put in a mountain of work over the summer and six games in I’d imagine he’d be polling pretty well in the league medal so far.
“Dave Comi in the ruck, he’s an undersized ruckman but he gives us more or less a fourth midfielder and we welcome Mick Shiels back into the side.
“He’s a dual league medallist and to have that calibre of player at this level come in after not playing for two or three years, he’s still is a very, very handy addition.”
Nagambie now eyes off a near neighbour in Avenel in round seven, with the Swans scoring a 38-point triumph over Rushworth at the weekend thanks to a bullish seven-goal effort from Dylan Hoysted.
Elsewhere, Murchison-Toolamba spearhead James Lloyd kicked a perfect 10 during a 165-point thumping of Girgarre, while Shepparton East shared the goals around in a 26.21 (177) to 1.0 (6) beating of Undera.
Lastly, Lancaster notched a 20.8 (128) to 9.9 (63) triumph over Merrigum, Stanhope edged Tallygaroopna by 12 points and Longwood conjured a 20.14 (134) to 10.6 (66) win over Violet Town in Sunday’s fixture.
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