Sport

Tigers tie in see-sawing encounter

By Matthew Kappos

Jul 28, 2025

Much like Mitch Trewhella and Nick Grey, there was nothing separating Rochester and Mansfield when the final siren sounded on a wet day in Mansfield. Photo: Bruce Povey.

In a game that seemed to have a little bit of everything, Rochester and Mansfield couldn’t be separated in the Goulburn Valley League football competition.

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Both sides had periods of dominance, and some quarters saw as many as six goals scored, while others had just a measly one in a wildly fluctuating encounter at Mansfield Recreation Reserve.

Rochester seemed as if it might be in for an easier afternoon after a powerful first quarter saw the Tigers kick five straight to Mansfield’s one for a big early lead.

The Tigers pressed the advantage at the start of the second and kicked two more goals to lead by as many as 35 points.

The Eagles were able to rally and find three majors of their own before half-time to reduce the deficit to a more manageable 16.

Both sides came out of the sheds sedentary and the third quarter saw little in the way of goalmouth action.

The teams traded behinds until late in the quarter, when Mansfield finally found the goal to reduce the lead to single digits headed into the final term.

The last quarter started with the Eagles adding another goal to really put the pressure on the Tigers, and the host had the lead midway through the period, back-to-back majors putting it up by 10.

Rochester closed the gap with a goal of its own, its first since early in the second, and took the lead by a point with a second.

In the dying minutes, Mansfield was able to do enough to sneak through one more minor score, leaving the two top-four rivals deadlocked at 58.

The Eagles were accumulators throughout the match, earning their score 8.10, while the Tigers were more accurate but made fewer successful attacking raids.

Hugh Hamilton kicked three of Rochester’s goals, while brother Wil managed two, as did Kyle Waters.

Will Foster led the Eagles with two goals.

Already trailing by percentage, the two dropped points put the Tigers definitively behind Echuca in the race for second.

The GVL is in for a split round 16 over the next two weekends, Rochy hosting Shepparton Swans on August 2 before taking a week off.