From the outset, the home side controlled both territory and tempo, setting the tone with a dominant first quarter masterclass that effectively put the game beyond doubt en route to a 15.17 (107) to 4.2 (26) win.
The home side piled on four goals while restricting Euroa to no score in the opening term, leaving the away side with a mountain to climb in the second quarter.
The visitors managed three goals for the term and showed signs of competitiveness around stoppages, briefly halting Mansfield’s momentum.
However, even when Euroa found some rhythm, the home side continued to generate scoring opportunities through efficient ball movement and strong work rate across the ground.
Mansfield again asserted its authority in the third quarter, though, holding Euroa scoreless while continuing to dominate possession and territory - before seeing out the win in the final term.
In attack, Callum Brown and Matthew King were standout performers, each finishing with four goals and providing a constant threat inside 50.
Mansfield coach Mitch Wareham reflected on a positive start to the campaign, as he gave his verdict on his side’s overall showing.
“We were very pleased, we saw some improvement from a lot of blokes which is what we were aiming for,“ he said.
“Overall, I’m really happy with how they played.”
As for what aspects of the performance he felt were most central to ensuring the victory, he earmarked the aggressive approach of his midfield as key.
“I’d spoken with [the players] about being aggressive in the midfield and, ultimately, we were able to do that.
“Then, also, we were able to do force forward half-turnovers and try to defend the ground a lot higher up rather than allowing it to get into the defensive 50 which the boys did quite well in the first quarter.”
Singling out a host of his charges for praise after a strong outing on home turf, it was clear that Wareham was eager to issue credit where it was due.
“Callum Brown was really impressive, taking off from where he left off last year so he was really good and Jayden Howes too and Harry Mahoney.“
Ex-AFL star Kelly also caught the boss’ eye during this opening day run-out.
“That was our first glimpse of him in a playing sense and he was super impressive,” Wareham said.
When it comes to the words of wisdom he imparted on his team following this Round 1 win, he was eager to stress the need for his side to keep working hard on the training field to ensure fitness for the gruelling campaign ahead.
“I said to the boys ‘you can’t expect to be 100 percent the whole of the game, that just doesn’t happen in any sport’ so it was about minimizing our downtime - that was a big focus for us,” he said.
“Our younger runners were still going in the 15 to 20 minute mark in the last quarter - we still had guys keeping up super pressure.
“Every team can have it’s ups and downs in week one, it’s about blowing off the cobwebs so it’s about making sure we keep focusing on our fitness.”
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