Murray’s under 18s lose in Interleague

Murray coach Levi Power admitted his side had the desired start, but failed to match Wimmera’s quality for the remainder.

‘‘We started really well out of the blocks, everything we spoke about before the game sort of came to fruition early, but I think we struggled to sustain it throughout the four quarters,’’ Power said.

Looking sharp early inside the forward 50, Murray threatened, but could not quite break away from Wimmera with a couple of chances squandered in front of the sticks.

Both sides came out of the sheds with fire in the belly, but it was Wimmera who began edging ahead midway through the second quarter.

While Murray gave their best to try and claw a way back into the game, Wimmera kept up the tempo and proceeded to put the foot on the throat of the hosts.

Trailing by more than 40 points going into the final stanza, Murray kept pushing, but Wimmera proved their class with a professional display across the board.

Barooga’s Riley Gow and Cobram’s Luca Allen played solid games in the centre, but it was Jordan Gee from Congupna who claimed the best-on-field award for Murray operating as the catalyst for the side.

‘‘Those boys gave us a good spark through the midfield, they had some really good ball use and their work rate all day was really high,’’ Power said.

‘‘I think once they (Wimmera) lifted their pressure we couldn’t sustain our ball use, but I am really proud of the boys’ efforts.’’

A standout for the visitors was Drew Schneider, 16, who bossed the middle of the park and provided precious territory with smart general play and neat kicking.

‘‘I felt we had all the right signs early on, but the key was just sustaining and being able to lift when the opposition lifts which was probably the difference in the end,’’ Power said.

‘‘The loss could potentially get in the head of our guys, but it shouldn’t.

‘‘Hopefully we get some continuity over the next couple of years and build towards getting a win.’’