Football
15 April, 2025
Defending premiers flex muscles
A 148-point triumph over their opposition, Horsham Demons, left even the coach of Ararat, Tom Mills, surprised.
"I can't say I did expect such a big win, they were pretty good around stoppage early so it looked as though it was going to be a fair battle from the start," Mills said after Ararat's Round One win in the WFNL on Saturday.
Mills' side built on their lead at each break, eventually claiming the win 32.12 (204) to 8.8 (56).
The coach led the way with the goal kicking, booting nine, but was supported well by Jack Ganley with seven.
Ganley was named as one of the better players, along with Cody Lindsay.
"It's probably hard to pinpoint who was the best in a big win, but I guess once our midfield started to get on top, the way they delivered it into the forward line was giving us good looks in front of goal, and the pressure from everyone on the ground was top notch," Mills said.
"Jack played mainly forward and occasionally in the midfield when needed, while Cody played the majority of the day in the ruck and was pretty dominant."
The coach also gave a nod to Brayden Draffin, who he said was pretty solid in his first game for the Rats.
Not one to claim the credit for his performance, Mills paid tribute to others for his goal haul.
"Yeah, I'm pretty happy with my performance, (but) like I said earlier when the midfielders are giving you good looks inside 50 it makes my job pretty easy," he said.
For the Demons, their better players were Billy Carberry and Tyler Blake.