Hale, White turn up the heat
An impressive win against Fremantle might see the Kangaroos with an unchanged lineup against the Saints on Sunday – and it comes at a time when Brad Scott has p
Big man David Hale is one player desperate to break back into the team and he's making every move a winner at North Ballarat.
Hale (17 possessions, 31 hit-outs, 1 goal) was again influential in the Roosters' 22 point win over Coburg on Sunday.
"David played over ninety percent of the game and was very good in the ruck. His tap-work was smart and gave the North Ballarat midfielders first use," North development coach John Lamont told kangaroos.com.au.
But the 26 year-old may be forced to spend further time in the VFL, despite the senior coach admitting he's among club’s best players.
"David's in our best 22 but unfortunately he's not in our best structural 22 at the moment. His best position is ruck-forward but Todd Goldstein's been in such good form that he's keeping him out at the moment," Scott said on Thursday.
Marcus White (15 possessions) has been in fine form of late and a stint in the Kangaroos' side looks to have given him added confidence.
Handed the task of stopping dangerous Tiger Robin Nahas, White relished the challenge.
"Marcus did a fantastic job on Nahas. He's a quality player and to be able to curb his influence says a lot for Whitey as a player," Lamont added.
Corey Jones' (19 possessions, 11 one-percenters) three goals helped him move into second spot on the goalkicking list, while Gavin Urquhart (13 possessions) got through the game unscathed on return from a week off.
Brayden Norris (11 possessions) and Warren Benjamin (6 possessions) had quieter days and the pair will be looking ahead to Saturday's game against Sandringham to turn things around.
North Ballarat 6.6 9.10 12.11 15.13-103
Coburg Tigers 4.1 7.2 8.4 12.9-81
North Ballarat
Goal Kickers: C. Jones 3, M. Darmody 3, S. Dinnell 2, M. Greig, I. Smith, D. Hale, G. Urquhart, G. Bell, W. Benjamin, B. Norris
Best Players: M. Sharkey, M. Sewell, M. White, M. Greig, S. Clifton, D. Hale
Coburg Tigers
Goal Kickers: M. Dennis 3, R. Nahas 2, J. Post 2, J. Kahlefeldt 2, T. Taylor, T. Vickery, A. Collins
Best Players: S. Power, J. O''Rielly, J. Kahlefeldt, R. Nahas, D. Grimes, R. Jordon