A brilliant effort in the ruck by debutant Darren Hulett helped lift Melton Centrals to a 33-point win over Lancefield in the Riddell District Football League on Saturday.
After regular Centrals ruckman Andrew Lorimer went down with a shoulder injury during the week Hulett stepped up for his first senior game.
PICTURE GALLERY: Melton Centrals v Lancefield
Playing one out for most of the day didn’t daunt Hulett, who battled hard to give his side first use of the ball.
His performance helped secure the 10.6 (66) to 4.9 (33) win and earned the praise of coach Brian Wheelahan.
“We lost our ruckman, who, in my opinion, is one of the best in the competition,” Wheelahan said.
“We brought in Hulett and he was amazing. It was his first game of senior football at our club and he was sensational.
“He rucked one-out for the entire game and competed really hard. He was brilliant.”
Kicking with the breeze in the opening quarter, the Centrals opened up a 15-point lead at the first break.
But it was when they were asked to defend against the advantage that the Melton players produced some of their best football of the season.
Centrals denied Lancefield a single point in the second term, also keeping the Tigers goalless in the third.
Wheelahan was rapt with the defensive effort. “Our performances for the last month have been a bit up and down so it was a much-needed win for us,” he said.
“We produced four quarters for probably the first time since early in the season.
“Our pressure, gang-tackling and intensity were the best I’ve seen it. It was a really good effort.”
Melton now moves into seventh place on the RDFL ladder with a 5-5 record.
Centrals take on sixth-placed Sunbury Kangaroos this week.
“We know a week is a long time in footy but if we produce what we did yesterday, next week, we definitely should be in the game,” Wheelahan said.
Elsewhere, Broadford beat Macedon 15.8 (98) to 7.7 (49), Diggers Rest smashed Woodend-Hesket 16.16 (112) – 4.5 (29), Riddell beat Kilmore 16.20 (116) to 3.7 (25), and Romsey edged Rupertswood 6.11 (476) to 5.12 (42).
