The chopping block

The dream of a senior O&M flag took a hit on Saturday for the Myrtleford Saints after defending champions Wangaratta Rovers dealt a hammering blow in the first match of the 2026 Ovens and Murray finals series. Played on the glorious turf of Norm Minns Oval on Saturday, the Rovers surged after a relatively even opening term, kicking 13 of the last 14 majors of the game in the 14.14 (98) to 3.7 (25) drubbing. The match certainly felt like a final from the first siren, with immense pressure at the contest from both teams. Myrtleford held a slight four-point lead, but the Rovers started to pile on the pressure after quarter time. The Rovers were able to deny the Saints any legitimately tantalising looks inside forward 50, cutting off the attack and rebounding on the outside with leg speed and precision kicking to pile on five goals straight to head into the long break with a 25-point lead. With their confidence soaring, and their defensive structure paying dividends, the Rovers continued to control the match, while the Saints struggled to get back into the contest. The third term saw the Rovers generate 11 scoring shots to Myrtleford’s two, outclassing the tricolours across the park – the damage could’ve been even more if the Rovers had kicked true with eight minor scores recorded in the third quarter. With the match all but tied up, neither team put the cue in the rack, but there was little the Saints could do to make up the deficit. Myrtleford coach Craig Millar said his side went away from the game plan, and it cost them the win. “We had a really clear plan of what we wanted to do, and we were executing it really well in the first quarter, and unfortunately we moved away from it in the second quarter,” he said. “I think there might’ve been three goals in it at about the 24-minute mark of that quarter, but a couple of free kicks led to a couple of goals, and before you knew it was out to five goals. “We struggled to wrestle that momentum back, and once they got their tails up they were hard to stop. “We’ll move on because we have to, address the areas we need to address and then move on pretty quickly to get ready for Wodonga this week.” The Saints manage just 40 ventures inside forward 50 for just 10 scoring shots, a pretty dismal efficiency rate of 25 per cent on the game. “40 inside 50s is still probably not enough to get the result you want, but it’s still a lot of looks, and to score at 25 per cent is just not going to get it done at this level,” Millar said. “That’s part of the method going inside that front half, that’s also some execution stuff. “Our ball use was challenged at times, we spoke about certain parts of the ground we wanted to enter through, and we just weren’t able to do that.” The Saints take on Wodonga Bulldogs this Sunday at WJ Findlay Oval, with the loser’s season done. The Bulldogs powered to a 12.13 (85) to 8.7 (55) win over Yarrawonga in their elimination final after dominating the fourth quarter. “They had a number of really good players on the weekend, so we’re going to have to play our best footy to try and stop them,” Millar said of the Bulldogs. “We’ll have to go back to the drawing board and work on a plan of how we’re going to get that done. “I guess the good thing for both sides is we only played each other three weeks ago, and most things are reasonably fresh. “I had a good look at them [on Sunday], they played some really good footy for most of the game, but their last quarter was exceptional when the game was on the line, and good teams can do that.” In other finals results, Myrtleford’s 17 and under netball side went down to Lavington 48-56 in their qualifying final. The Saints will meet the Magpies this Sunday from 10am.

The chopping block

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