AARON DEGREEF
BAROSSA District kept its finals hopes well and truly alive with a three-goal victory over Gawler Central in Barossa, Light & Gawler A-grade football on Saturday.
Despite the chilly conditions and the flooded Williamstown Oval, both sides got off to a solid start.
Barossa drew first blood, with Michael Baraglia slotting one from 30m out.
The Tigers then replied when Brad Mercer got tackled high, and converted his free kick.
He then marked and converted from long range to put Central in front.
After a bit of mud wrestling, Tiger Jonty Schulz bounced in a goal from 50m, but not before teammate Kyle Wurst nailed a set shot.
Central continued to hold significant momentum with captain Andrew Wright kicking a spectacular sliding goal, and Nicholas Hooker slotting another on the quarter-time siren.
The Tigers had opened up a commanding 27-point lead at the break, but the tide was about to turn.
Barossa rallied in the second quarter as Ryan Watson collected the crumbs and snapped a goal.
Jaydn Goodfellow then successively outmanoeuvred his man, and converted a major.
The Dogs seemed to have gained some vitality, with the entire side lifting after Riley Allington got into a great positioning and kicked truly.
In a similar fashion, Nathan Casboult curved through a banana on the run, while Damien Nangle somehow got 50m clear from his man to kick yet another Barossa goal.
Finally, to end the opening half with a show of strength, Oscar Barnett took a fantastic diving chest mark and slotted a goal on the siren.
The Bulldogs had turned a 27-point deficit into a 22-point lead in a quarter of football.
However, as the third term began, Central again regained some momentum as Wurst sold some candy to multiple Barossa defenders, before dribbling the ball through for a goal.
However, there was a lengthy period where neither side scored, despite the Tigers getting plenty of the footy.
Luckily, the drought was alleviated when Hooker and Mercer each snapped truly while under intense pressure, gaining a fourpoint lead for Central at three-quarter-time.
With the game still incredibly tight, both teams continued to clash – scrambling to gain a real lead on the scoreboard.
Luckily for Barossa, the experience within the side began to shine as Baraglia sniped a goal from long range.
After some more aggression, Leigh Ryswyk took a solid chest and converted immediately.
In reply, Mercer outran his defender and scored again, bringing his total to six goals.
But, despite his singlehanded heroics, the Dogs sealed the deal through Daniel Kickel and Oscar Barnett.
Speaking after the game, Barossa player-coach Todd Miles was chuffed with the win.
“Michael Baraglia, his toughness around the contest was great,” he said.
“Daniel Kickel’s pressure and speed was also solid.”
