Down by 13 points at the main break against Shepparton, Mooroopna fired out of the blocks and piled on six goals to zip in what was a match-winning third term.
Mooroopna coach John Lamont asked for a response at half-time and that’s exactly what he received from his playing group as it toughed out a win in wet and windy conditions in round 12 Goulburn Valley League action.
The Cats had struggled to get the ball inside their attacking 50 during the first half, with the ball finding its way down there 11 times compared to Shepparton’s 21.
Although their ability to score was high in the first term ― 50 per cent scoring efficiency ― the Cats went at a lowly 28 per cent in the second.
Shepparton managed the complete opposite and managed to score 55 per cent of times going forward, while in the opening term the Bears wasted opportunities and posted a low 16 per cent.
The Bears were relentless in the second term and posted a staggering 34 tackles in the quarter, before going on to record 98 for the match.
The momentum swung in Mooroopna’s favour after half-time and that’s evident with its number of inside 50s for the term.
Following their 11 entries in the first half, the Cats almost doubled their tally for the match and posted a whopping 19 for the quarter.
Key stats
Disposals
Shepparton: 263
Mooroopna: 287
Contested possessions
Shepparton: 150
Mooroopna: 126
Clearances
Shepparton: 37
Mooroopna: 47
Inside 50
Shepparton: 40
Mooroopna: 36
Tackles
Shepparton: 98
Mooroopna: 86
Despite the slippery conditions, the Cats went at 75 per cent disposal efficiency to Shepparton’s 57 per cent and managed a 73 per cent strike rate with their inside 50 entries.
Surprisingly, Mooroopna had not managed a single score from a turnover in the first half.
At the round eight mark of the season, Mooroopna was ranked fourth in the league for scores from turnovers.
Mooroopna feasted in the third term with 5.2 (32) scored from turnovers, with four of those goals coming from the midfield area of the ground.
And who helped change Mooroopna’s fortunes in the third quarter?
Well look no further than star forward Chris Nield.
The gun Cat recorded a quarter-high 11 disposals, three goals and eight score involvements.
He was also involved in all six of Mooroopna’s goals for the term.
Fellow star talent Jackson Trengove was the next best performer with eight touches, six contested, two goals and six score involvements.
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