So, when the skies opened up and dropped over 50 millilitres of rain onto Avenel Recreation Reserve in the lead up to round 15, it proved to be the perfect level playing field for a historic contest.
In what was never going to be a goal-fest, the Tigers put their best foot forward in the opening quarter, nailing three maximums and holding the Swans to just a sole goal to take a 13-point first turn lead.
However, the host wasn’t going to let the game go by the wayside, roaring back into the contest with 3.3, and keeping Rushworth at bay to bring the scores level at the major break.
After a few midfield adjustments from Tigers coach Mark Wheatley, Rushworth lit up a gloomy afternoon in the second half with strong entries inside 50.
Nailing 3.5 across the next two quarters while clamping the Swans on defence, Rushworth got away to a landmark 7.9 (51) to 5.8 (38) victory at the full-time siren.
Wheatley reflected on the match and outlined his side’s willingness to play hard and adapt to difficult conditions as the chief factors in their triumph.
“I told our players the game was going to be about who could adapt to the conditions quicker, so we’d just have to roll our sleeves up and get down and dirty,” he said.
“To the boy’s credit, I thought they started the game well, they adapted to the conditions better, but Avenel really took it to us in the second quarter, so we had to make some adjustments around our clearance work.
“After half-time we certainly turned it on even if it wasn’t a goal fest, I felt we had the majority of the ball and play so that was really pleasing to see.”
While forward Riley Edwards kicked four goals in the match and Ryan Raglus was named best-on-ground, Wheatley said it was a true team performance and a historic victory for Rushworth.
“Our defenders were unbelievable, it was the first time all year that I felt we played all four quarters, it felt like the game was pretty much in control the whole time,” he said.
“Our forwards were terrific; I think it was their best performance of the season, with them taking some strong marks in those conditions.
“It was a really high quality, even, team performance where everyone had their moments.
“It’s a famous victory for our footy club, perhaps some outsiders were writing us off, so it was amazing to get the four points and keep our finals dream alive.”
With a bye in round 16, the Tigers will return in round 17 to battle Girgarre before finishing off their season against Undera, with the possibility of a perfect finish and a long-awaited finals birth up for grabs.
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