GVL | Gallery | Mansfield shocks Euroa in round one boil-over at Memorial Oval

A dominant defensive performance at Euroa’s Memorial Oval served as the catalyst for the Eagles triumph, with star recruit Jack Hutchins taking control of the back six in a dominant first outing in blue and gold.

Skipping away to a 32-point lead early in the third term, Mansfield was challenged in the shadows of three-quarter-time, as the Magpies finally got their game going and mounted a quick four-goal charge to get within 10 points.

But the young Eagles rose to the occasion in the last quarter, stifling Euroa’s momentum and getting the game back on their terms to come away with a gritty 27-point victory.

“Today showed me that we can hang tough,’’ Owens said after the win.

“Euroa are a very good side and they came at us hard in that third quarter, so to be able to halt that momentum and get back on top it was very pleasing.

“It was really good leadership from our captains and senior players to settle the group down and get us back to playing our way.

“As a coaching staff we were very proud of how our boys hung in there and then when the game was there to be won, we were able to go out there and get the job done.”

In what was a great sight for Magpies fans, livewire Jett Trotter got Euroa off to a fast start under gloomy skies at Memorial Oval, kicking the first goal just minutes into the game.

But from there, the Eagles defence took control of the contest, as the likes of Hutchins, Will Chiller and Brett Mahoney stood up to the early heat and got the game back on Mansfield’s terms.

“To keep Euroa to just 12 scoring shots on the day was just a great effort from our backline who stood tall all day,” Owens said of his defence.

“But our backs were able to do what they did over the first two-and-a-half quarters because of the pressure our forwards and mids put on them up the field, so it was a total team effort that we should all be very proud of.”

Piling on four goals to two in the second term, the home side looked at risk of getting blown away early in the third, before seasoned stars Ben Giobbi, Trotter, Jacob Gleeson and Erishmiilan Uthayakumar turned the tide with some scintillating passages of play to bring the Magpies back into the game.

Despite the positive in being able to get back into the contest, Euroa coach Scott Rowan said his team was flat from the get-go.

“I just think we were off,” Rowan said.

“They came here to win, and in this league, you can’t expect to be off that five to 10 per cent and expect to win, especially against a good side like Mansfield.

“We lost our structures a little bit and the way we wanted to play, whether it was the pressure through the midfield or something else that caused us to lose that we will have to have a close look during the week.”

Going into the final term just nine points down and with a chance to storm over the top of the battle-weary Eagles, ill-discipline cost the Magpies in the end, with some crucial free kicks and 50m penalties gifting Mansfield crucial goals.

“There is just no room for undisciplined stuff in footy today and we obviously did that today, giving away three goals from free kicks in that last quarter,” Rowan said.

“It is pretty easy to see where we lost the game and it (undiscipline) is something we need to address.”

Next week Mansfield hosts Seymour for an Easter Saturday clash, while Euroa will be desperate to respond as the side makes the tough trip to Echuca.