Fourth-placed Stratford has banked a valuable four points and moved a game ahead of Orbost Snowy Rovers after beating the Blues by 43 points on Saturday in round eight of the East Gippsland Football Netball League.
The match was fast-paced early, with Stratford asserting its dominance in the middle through ruckman Floyd Fulton getting first use of the ball, bringing into the game players like superstar, Lachie Channing, and skipper Nick French.
Stratford’s quick movement caught the Blues off guard, who were in the blink of an eye trailing by three goals on the scoreboard.
Smooth movers Harry Langford and Jack Reitschel were the springboards of every attack, running off the half back line with ease.
The smaller forwards of Stratford were working hard to keep the ball inside their forward half by putting immense pressure on the likes of Jordan Ross, Henry Vine and Sean Nippress.
Channing brought his own football to the game and was continually linking up with the Stratford half back line and finding forward targets such as Jack Bacon and Will Webb, as the Swans led by 22 points at quarter time.
The weather was starting to turn in the second quarter and kicking with the aid of the breeze, the Orbost forwards started getting into the game.
Hamish Nettleton was providing a good focal point along the half forward line and brother Curtley was leading strong into the corridor.
Unfortunately, wayward kicking allowed Stratford to continually take the ball from their backline and end up in a scoring position up the other end.
As the heavens opened Stratford had gained a seven goal advantage, Orbost goalless in 60 minutes of football, the Swans were going to be hard to beat as players sought relief from the elements at half time.
Persistent drizzle affected the standard of football in the third quarter and there were a lot of stoppages and congestion.
Blues centre half back, Max Welsh, started to get into the game and was doing his best to get Orbost back in the match, as goals became hard to come by in tough conditions.
It was an arm wrestle and with constant stoppages, the players began to get frustrated.
After an incident at half forward, which sparked a melee, Will Webb was shown his marching orders.
Unfortunately the Blues struggled to take the advantage and continually allowed the Stratford half back line to run the ball back out at will.
Tempers were still on edge and it culminated with Mitch Dignan being sent from the ground and later Rodney O’Keefe was shown his marching orders for his part in the incident.
This could’ve proved costly for both sides as Dignan was creating some valuable attacks, while O’Keefe astonished the crowd with his ruck craft and football smarts.
The quarter ended with Stratford kicking the only two goals, the Blues still yet to register a major and starting the final 30 minutes trailing by 54 points.
The last quarter was Orbost’s best as it added four goals to two, but it was a case of the horse had already bolted.
Welsh started to get a bit further up the ground and was using his damaging left foot to kick goals from outside 50.
His actions lifted the Blues, Braeden Ross and Tom Smith started to find the ball as Stratford took its foot off the pedal.
Welsh was outstanding, the Ross boys battled hard all day, along with Smith, Dignan, Andrew Malcolm and Sean Nippress.
Best players for Swans were the unstoppable Channing, Rietschel, Langford, Nick French, Bacon, Jack Schultz and Fulton, who handed Wes Russell a rare defeat in the ruck.
Stratford coach, Gavin O’Shanassy, was upbeat post game still hopeful of attracting Reggie Tait and Haydn Erfurth back into the fold for another premiership tilt.
