RDFL: Diggers Rest clings to margin over Kangaroos

A CLUTCH goal to Brandon Kilty was enough for Diggers Rest to get a two-point win against Sunbury Kangaroos in the Riddell District Football League on Saturday.

Diggers Rest went into the final quarter with a three-goal lead and just managed to hold on. Sunbury’s Jason King opened the scoring in the last term and, when Matt Welsh ran into an open goal 10 minutes later, the margin was back to three points.

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Kilty’s mark, set shot and goal was the Burras’ only one for the quarter after three crucial misses early in the term. His major extended the lead back to nine points and despite a late goal to Sunbury’s Jake Powell from a 50-metre penalty, Diggers Rest did enough to hold on.

The Burras started the game in terrific style, simply outclassing the Kangaroos, who were lethargic.

Diggers had nine shots on goal to two for the quarter and but for inaccurate kicking would have led by more than 22 points at the first break.

Despite missing five premiership players, the Kangaroos had cut the margin to just a point at half-time. Sixteen of the game’s 20 goals were scored at the Houdini Drive end.

Diggers kicked the only three goals of the third quarter.

In the end it was the Burras’ pressure that got them over the line.

“We were three goals up at three-quarter-time and we just had to keep the pressure up in the last,” Burras coach Jamie Elliott said.

“It was our pressure mainly. We had 16 tackles in the last quarter, put our head over the footy and worked pretty hard.”

ANZAC DAY: Sunbury plays Rockbank on Anzac Day and Diggers Rest travels to Broadford to take on the might of Barry Hall.