Yallourn-Yallourn North Run Riot as Demons Outplayed

After opening their season with a promising win over Sale City, Yarram’s confidence took a heavy hit on Saturday, suffering a comprehensive 131-point defeat to Yallourn-Yallourn North Football Netball Club.

The home side controlled proceedings from the outset, piling on scores in every quarter to cruise to a dominant 25.19 (169) to 5.8 (38) victory. Yallourn-Yallourn North set the tone early with five first-quarter goals, followed by six in the second, eight in the third and another five in the final term. In contrast, Yarram managed just one goal in the opening quarter, two in the second, and only two more after half-time.

The Demons struggled to match the intensity around the contest, with pressure and tackling—hallmarks of their round one performance—noticeably absent.

Coach Brett Mitchell did not shy away from the shortcomings.

“One of our key focus areas is pressure and tackling and compared with last round we were very disappointing, which allowed YYN to get their game up and going, which is difficult to arrest,” Mitchell said.

He also pointed to Yallourn-Yallourn North’s midfield dominance as a decisive factor, forcing his side into a reactive style of play.

“They are a very good team and their midfield completely dominated the game, which resulted in us going into a defensive mindset by kicking down the line rather than playing our game style,” he said.

“Our execution with our skills was not great, but to their credit they brought the pressure and we didn’t handle it well. We fumbled a lot, which invited further pressure. We will learn a lot from this performance.”

Despite the heavy loss, Mitchell remains focused on a quick response, with the Demons turning their attention to a key Anzac Day weekend clash against nearby rivals Gormandale Football Netball Club.

“We have a big game against Gormandale on the Sunday of the Anzac Day weekend and we are looking forward to an improved performance,” he said.

YYN Best: Dean Macdonald, Dylan Bath, dylan bentley, Brandon Mcauliffe, Darcy Shellcot, Cody Macdonald

Yarram Best: Kayleb Pearce, Benjamin Vardy, Lochie Roberts, Kelly Griffiths, Griffin Underwood, Daniel Vardy

YYN goals: D McDonald 8, D Scott and D Bently 3 each, C Boxshall, R reid, D Bath 2 each,W De Carli, J Masse, L Little, C Macdonald, K Carrison  1 each

Yarram goals: K Pearce 2,  K Griffiths, M Claverino, D vardy 1 each