Not only was it a statement victory in the hunt for the KDL crown, it brought an end to the Grasshoppers’ unbeaten season in round 13.
Coming into the home game against a team that has regularly bested opposition by over 100 points, Lancaster coach Nick Ryan said his side was full of confidence heading into the contest.
“We haven’t really gone into a game this year where we didn’t feel like we were going to go in and be really competitive, or we didn’t think we could come away with the four points,” he said.
“Obviously, every game is a little bit of an unknown until you get to the end of the year and there are sides you’ve played against before, but we were full of confidence that we could get the job done.”
The Wombats made their intentions clear in the first quarter, jetting out to a two-goal advantage at quarter-time after nailing four majors, while limiting a usually rampant Murchison attack to just two of its own.
The Grasshoppers fought back valiantly in the second period, putting a trio of attempts through the middle sticks, but Lancaster (2.5) kept its nose in front despite missing a few chances.
With the difference just 11-points, the pivotal contest was anyone’s game, but the Wombats showed its attrition after half-time, keeping pace with 2.3.
Lancaster’s defence was working overtime to contain a proven winning formula, doing well to hold Murch to 2.1, the deficit still precarious at 13 with the match coming down to a consequential final frame.
Showing every ounce of its premiership pedigree, the Wombats held on with 3.4 down the stretch to come away with a dazzling victory against the KDL flag shoo-in 11.13 (79) to 10.2 (62).
Ryan reflected on the game and highlighted the confidence to win has given the team to go all the way in 2025, while also enjoying the moment.
“Really impressed by the way the boys performed. We’re starting to get some guys back on the park now, and still a few to come back in, but the 21 that turned up, we had every bloke perform, so we couldn’t have asked for much more,” he said.
“We hope that with the run home, we are as close to locking up a top two spot as we can be,” he said.
“We’ve put ourselves in a really strong position, so looking towards finals, we are in a really good spot.
“But when we reflect on yesterday, I think we can get a bit caught up in looking towards finals and trying to win a flag, and sort of forget to enjoy the home-and-away season too much.
“So, (we are) just trying to take the enjoyment out of the wins like we got yesterday, and just keep moving forward.”
Lancaster will be hunting more reward in round 14, travelling to Girgarre in round 14 to face the surging Kangaroos.
