THE Bermagui Breakers first grade Aussie rules squad had Merimbula on the back foot early on Saturday.
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The Breakers defeated the Diggers 15.11 (101) to 8.11 (59).
The Breakers kicked a flurry of five goals in the opening quarter to double Merimbula’s score.
Breakers coach Brent Ohlin said the team was delighted with the win after a close challenge.
“It’s a fantastic feeling around the club, we spoke about it heavily over the last couple of weeks,” Ohlin said.
“The boys pushed hard and we’re happy to get the result.”
In the second quarter, the Diggers regained a lot of possession and nearly levelled the score.
“It was a very open style of footy,” Ohlin said.
“If we cleared the ruck we ran away with it, if they cleared it they took it away.
“The whole first half was definitely a battle of the midfields.”
Luke Kingston was a standout for the Breakers, winning plenty of contests, while Kane Fowler also impressed.
The Breakers surged ahead at the third quarter break to lead by about 40 points, but injuries were taking a toll on the squad.
“We didn’t have a bench left because of a few injuries.
“We had a bit of a chat at the break and we knew it was going to be tough.”
Ohlin said he backed the Breakers’ kicking ability and opted for a physical final quarter.
“I said to the guys ‘let’s go man-to-man’.
“Going back to a more contested style of footy play was a real game changer.
“In the final quarter we kicked six goals to none,” he said.
The win sees the Breakers rising the SCAFL ladder to a clear second place.
“We wanted to consolidate our position in the top three, but the win puts us clear in second,” Ohlin said.
The Breakers are now looking forward to their match against the Bega Bombers.
“We’re very confident, but Bega’s been in really good form of late.
“We’ll expect a good fight, but hopefully we’ll come out on top.”
After not being able to field a side last year, Ohlin said he hoped to encourage footy fans to back the Breakers.
“We’ve come back from the dead so to speak.
“This could be a really good time for the club coming up the ladder.
“We just want to encourage people to get down to the footy,” he said.