It looked as though it would be a percentage-boosting victory for the visitors at Girgarre Recreation Reserve, who were wasteful early, kicking 5.11 (41) to half-time, although they had restricted the Roos to 1.1 (7) to enjoy a 34-point lead at the main break.
But the lead evaporated in the third term as Girgarre roared back into the contest, booting five goals to two and setting up a thrilling finale, which eventually petered out to nothing as Violet Town righted the ship, slotting four goals in the final term to claim a 33-point win.
Gleeson himself led the way in terms of goals, booting a game-high five majors in the win as one of Violet Town’s best, with Ben Harrison the Towners’ most influential alongside Joshua Robertson (one goal).
Nathan Abley, Wil Smyth and Nathan Butler rounded out the best, while Chris McKay was the only other multiple goal-scorer with two majors as Ashly Hobbs, Patrick Horsburgh and Tim Ross each kicked one.
Having gone 1-15 last season, the Towners have shown significant improvement already this year, so much so that they find themselves in fifth spot after seven rounds of Kyabram District League, although they are yet to have the bye.
The Towners now play just two games of football in the next month, facing Stanhope in round eight before a week off for the league-wide bye.
Shepparton East awaits after the break in round nine, before yet another week on the sidelines as round 10 presents the first of the Towners’ scheduled byes for the year.
Netball
Over on the court, Violet Town felt the full force of the reigning premier, as Girgarre bounced back from its first loss of the season.
The Roos proved too strong all over the court, as the Towners fell 25-50 away from home.
The Towners started well against second placed Girgarre, going into the first break just four goals down, however, with new combinations in the Towners squad due to injuries, they were unable to sustain the tightness of the match and cracks started to show in their execution.
Towners’ defenders Kolby Wild, Melanie Humphries and Prue Holmes did a great job to ensure Violet Town had ample opportunities at goal, however they struggled to convert.
Despite this, it was still a strong effort from the ninth placed Towners to keep Girgarre to 50 goals.
Violet Town now sits at 2-5 for the year following the loss, although they will look to rebound against a similarly placed Stanhope in round eight, with the Lions 2-4 and coming off the back of a 15-74 drubbing at the hands of Shepparton East.
In other matches, the Towners’ B-grade side narrowly went down 28-31, with Lilly Armstrong and Macey Ross among the best, while the C-grade side fell 15-30, with Thalia Ellis and Ash Bertoli best-on-court.
C-reserve went down 15-64, although Maria Michalowski and Sam Rouget performed strongly, while the 17-and-under Towners won 32-29, with Matilda Kubeil and Georgia McLean the most influential.
The 15-and-under side went down 11-56, Elexia Williams and Georgia Mackrell the best in that clash, the 13-and-under side lost 15-20 in a spirited showing, while Arabella and Addi led the way in the under-11s, who secured a 12-5 win.
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