Tara Murray
Troy Scoble couldn’t have asked for a much better start to his time as coach of Melton in the Ballarat Football League.
The Bloods faced off against local rival Melton South in their normal round one clash on Saturday and showed they meant business.
After a fairly even first quarter on the scoreboard, the Bloods kicked 12 goals to one in the second quarter to blow the game open.
The hurt continued in the second half for the Panthers, with the Bloods winning, 33.13 (211)-3.5 (23).
Scoble said it was nice to finally get out there and play a game.
“We expected a lot of improvement from them last year from what we had heard going into round one,” he said.
“We went there knowing that we could have to be up for the challenge, especially at their home ground,
“They were really competitive early. We finally got the game on our terms and put what we needed to be put in place.”
Scoble said they were a bit inconsistent early on before starting to click heading into the first break.
He said once they started to play more ‘Bloods’ type of football, the game opened up and they were able to put their foot down.
Scoble said he was pretty happy with the performance in the end.
“We know going into round one, it’s not going to be perfect,” he said. “We had a strong focus around pressure for the entire time and were able to do that.
“We know there’s still a lot to work on with a new coach. I’m really pleased how we played with a lot of boys having positional shifts, it’s really exciting.”
Braedan Kight kicked seven goals for the Bloods, with Liam Carter kicking five and Kyle Borg and Ryan Davis kicking four goals each,
Scoble said Kight and Carter played well, while it was good to have Borg back from Victorian Football League duties.
Riley Walker at half back was another standout in a strong team performance.
For the Panthers it was all single goal kickers. Broden Collins and Patrick Veszpremi were named their best.
Scoble said the Panthers didn’t give up at any stage.
Having not coached senior football for a number of years, Scoble said it’s something that he is enjoying.
“Definitely not part of the plan,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed it and it’s a team full of Melton locals and there’s a lot of depth.
“I was excited to coach yesterday and it was a great day and the club is doing a lot of great things on and off the field.”
The Bloods face Sebastopol this Saturday, before North Ballarat the following week in a couple of big tests.
Scoble said this will be a couple of good challenges early in the season.
The Panthers will head to Sunbury to face the Sunbury Lions under lights on Saturday night.
In other results, reigning premiers Darley started the season with a 21.14 (140)-6.8 (44) win against East Point.
Bacchus Marsh fell just short against Ballarat, 11.19 (85)-10.9 (69).
