A spirited come-from-behind win has delivered Tatura its first win of the Goulburn Valley League season.
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The Bulldogs fought back from being 43 points down to claim an incredible nine-point triumph over Shepparton Swans at Princess Park on Saturday.
After not registering a score in the opening quarter, Tatura booted 11 goals to four after the first break, to run out 11.9 (75) to 9.12 (66) winners.
Jubilation and relief flooded the victors’ rooms post-match, compared to the Swans, who were left stunned just minutes away from clinching back-to-back wins.
Tatura coach Paul Kirby was glad to see his charges breakthrough for their first win of the campaign after four rounds.
“It is a big relief to get that first win on the board,” Kirby said.
“We're still improving and we still have plenty of room left for improvement which is promising.
“The boys have a taste of that winning feeling now and hopefully that kick-starts us a bit and we can use the momentum going forward.”
After leading by six goals at the end of the first quarter, the Swans looked well on their way to backing up the previous weekend's win over Shepparton United.
Ruckman Tom Campbell was leading the charge, followed by young gun and Murray Bushranger Ethan Warburton.
Jessie Finnen (two goals) kicked his first major at the start of the second term which pushed the home side out to a 43-point buffer.
The Bulldogs needed a spark to light their comeback and they got it through star midfielder Nick Fothergill, who booted the first of his three goals shortly after.
Keeping the Swans goalless in the third term allowed Tatura to work back into the contest and trail by 14 points at the last break.
And as the saying goes, the rest is history.
Five goals to one in the last term had Tatura seal its fairytale comeback win.
“The competition is so even this year, you really can't afford to give sides a head start like that,” Kirby said.
“We gave away a similar start to Mansfield and worked our way back into the contest. So I had full faith in the side at quarter-time.
“I gave them a bit of a rev and they responded in the second term and carried that through the rest of the match.
“We have our five to six leaders in the side, but I thought the win was generated from the whole playing group.”
Kirby was full of praise for his side's backline, headlined by best afield performer Tom Sullivan, key defender Brad Ryan and smart user James Nihill.
“Our backline really stood up in that second half. To restrict any side to one goal in a half of footy is a great result,” he said.
“Tom is an elite footballer and he led from the front on Saturday. Brad was outstanding, we pushed him back to defence after we threw him up in attack last week.
“He reads the ball better than anyone. And Jimmy was really solid in his first game back. You don't realise how much you miss his input, he's a great user of the ball and a very smart footballer.”
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