The dust has settled on Saturday’s classic interleague contest and it’s time to peel back the numbers behind Ovens and Murray League’s thrilling seven-point triumph over Goulburn Valley League.
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A quick glance at the overall match numbers and one of the telling figures is the whopping tackle count differential.
Ovens and Murray brought the heat to the visiting GVL at Albury Sports Ground and laid 74 tackles to 49 for the game.
Before running out 13.14 (92) to 13.7 (85) victors, O&M blitzed the GVL in a whirlwind first term.
The home side won the contested possession count (48-32), total ground-ball gets (32-22), clearances (13-9) and the inside-50 count (19-6).
The first quarter had GV win the tackle count 16-14, however, it lost the effective tackle count 14-7.
GV also coughed up 24 turnovers in the first term.
Things turned around in the second quarter as the contest became a scrap.
Both sides went below 50 per cent efficiency by foot in the second quarter and each posted 23 turnovers, while the O&M won the contested-ball count by four.
Key stats
Disposals
Goulburn Valley League: 341
Ovens and Murray League: 349
Total ground-ball gets
Goulburn Valley League: 99
Ovens and Murray League: 114
Clearances
Goulburn Valley League: 48
Ovens and Murray League: 38
Contested marks
Goulburn Valley League: 10
Ovens and Murray League: 23
Hit-outs
Goulburn Valley League: 46
Ovens and Murray League: 39
Tackles
Goulburn Valley League: 49
Ovens and Murray League: 74
Inside-50s
Goulburn Valley League: 43
Ovens and Murray League: 60
Scores from turnovers
Goulburn Valley League: 7.6 (48)
Ovens and Murray League: 10.9 (69)
Yet the GV was more efficient in the forward line and from 11 inside-50s posted a 45 per cent to 23 scoring efficiency.
GV started to win the ball around the contest in the third term, slamming home five goals.
Goulburn Valley tallied 38 contested possessions, won the clearances (11-9), marks (28-19), inside-50s (13-12) and posted a scoring efficiency of 61 per cent to 21.
The O&M laid 21 tackles to eight and tallied 22 turnovers to 18.
In the last term the GV won the contested ball (44-40), clearances (14-9) and posted 21 turnovers, while the O&M won the intercept mark count by eight — a game-high.
The coaching staff highlighted that the game plan was to play high-risk and high-reward footy and, while it was able to bring them back into the contest, it ultimately cost them the Ash-Wilson Trophy.
Ovens and Murray booted 4.3 (27) from turnovers in the fourth quarter — the highest total for a quarter of the match — with two goals stemming from GV errors in defensive 50.
