The 19.7 (121) to 15.11 (101) victory keeps the Bombers’ perfect record intact after five rounds, but coach Corey Carver was full of praise for the Eagles’ performance in what proved a genuine four-quarter contest.
“They were good, really good,” Carver said.
“I watched them the week before against Rochester and was surprised how convincingly they won. They’ve got a strong midfield and some really damaging outside players. We just couldn’t shake them all game.”
Kyabram dropped just its second quarter of the season in the opening term as Mansfield made an early statement, taking a six-point lead into the first break.
The Bombers responded in the second quarter, led by Riley Ironside and Charlie Barnett in attack, but the Eagles kept pace to trail by just two points at half-time in what was shaping as a shootout.
Late in the third quarter, Mansfield nudged out to a 14-point lead, before Kyabram responded with three consecutive goals to edge ahead once again.
“There was nothing in it,” Carver said.
“They got out late in the third, then we kicked the next three. To be honest, we just kicked straighter in the last quarter, they missed a couple and we kicked em, so, there was just nothing in it for the whole game.”
Kyabram booted 6.1 to 3.4 in the final term to secure the win, with the scoreboard flattered slightly by their accuracy in front of goal.
Ironside finished with five goals in a best-on-ground showing, while Barnett added four majors of his own as part of a spread of ten individual goal-kickers.
“We spoke about it after the game – you need multiple contributors if you’re going to beat the really good teams,” Carver said.
Carver was also encouraged by the way his group handled a close finish after a month of lopsided wins.
“It is a bit of a worry when you’re winning easily that you might get complacent, but I don’t think that’s an issue for us,” he said.
“We hung in there, even when they got in front a couple of times. We just kept at it.”
The result sees Kyabram move to 5–0 and second on the ladder, setting up a mouthwatering top-of-the-table clash against Echuca this Saturday.
“It’ll be a cracker, we obviously can’t wait,” Carver said.
“Echuca have been so good for so long. We’ve got some young guys who should be looking forward to the challenge. You want to play the best to see where you’re at.”
The Bombers will host the contest on their home deck, with Carver hopeful it could offer a slight edge.
“There’s a bit more space at Ky compared to Echuca, so we’ll see. You’d hope you get some sort of advantage at home.”
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