Tara Murray
North Sunshine may not have any wins on the scoreboard, but it is ticking off small wins each week in the Western Region Football League division 3.
It’s been a tough season for the Roadrunners, which started with a 40 goal loss in round one after several changes in the off season.
But from then, the side has continued to make inroads and is improving every week.
While coach Andrew Scimone said it had been a struggle as they struggled to match it with the top sides, he was thrilled with the development.
“We’re building on what we’ve been working on,” he said. “We’re not getting blown out of the water and getting beaten by 20 goals the last two weeks, which is really good.
“We’ve got a really good defensive style of football that we’re playing.”
Scimone said they decided to stick with a defensive game style, as they lacked the pace coming out of the back line to launch a lot of attacks going forward.
He said this style, which they’re set to stick with, had helped reduce the margins in the game.
In their last match, the Roadrunners lost to the Suns by 94 points. It’s a long way from the round one clash when the margin was 281 points.
“In round one we lost by more than 40 goals, so that’s a 30 goal turnaround which I’m very pleased with,” he said.
“It’s about sticking to the game plan and making it hard for the opposition. We want to reduce that onslaught.
“Personally in my eyes we are winning not being blown out of the water.”
The said the second half of the season is about trying to play four quarter football and continue to make inroads and reduce the margin even further.
He said they were also hoping to get at least one win on the board.
“We face Tarneit and Laverton in the coming weeks and we’re aiming to get the win,” he said.
“We won’t be competitive against the top three, so it’s about narrowing that margin against those sides.
“If we can bring that margin within 10 goals, that’s a massive win for us.”
The Roadrunners had the bye on the weekend.
Scimone said it came at the perfect time for the group. This week they face Tarneit, which entered the weekend in fifth.
“The boys are still up beat and working really hard, which you don’t always see after getting beaten by 20 goals week in week out,” he said.
“The bye has come at a very good time and we can regroup ahead of the next group of matches.”
