Allan Bond played well in his 300th PDFL seniors game the first Rover to accomplish the feat.
Brendan Hope kicked two goals in his 300th game for the Rovers the fourteenth player in football or netball to reach 300 for the club.
The Deni Rovers have bounced back onto the winning list with their best performance of the year against Berrigan on Saturday.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Played in front of a big Sponsor’s Day crowd and celebrating milestones for Allan Bond and Brendan Hope, Rovers conceded the first goal of the game but then assumed control to dominate the remainder of the game.
The win now puts Rovers back into the top eight with their five win, five loss winning ratio.
After conceding the first goal, Rovers kicked the next four goals in the first quarter to establish a 21-point lead at quarter time.
Rovers continued to use the ball very well in the second quarter, with quick movement into the forward line providing the opportunity to kick a further 5.3 for the quarter whilst strong defence limited Berrigan to only 1.1 for the quarter.
Hayden Barker and Tyson Willis were constant dangers up forward and helped extend the lead to 47 points at half-time.
Coach Alex Hay emphasised the importance of maintaining the level of effort at half-time and his side responded with a solid third quarter kicking 4.4 to 2 points.
Cam Wills continued to shine in this quarter despite being heavily tagged by Berrigan and won plenty of clearances.
The last quarter was more even with Berrigan scoring a couple of late goals to make the scoreboard a bit more respectable.
A highlight of the quarter was the move of Brendan Hope into the forward line. He drew loud cheers from the crowd taking two strong marks to kick two goals in his 300th club game.
Berrigan had been higher than Rovers on the ladder leading into the game so the result could be very important with only six home and away matches left in the season.
The milestone boys in Bond and Hope led the way and contributed as they have over the balance of their careers with the whole side lifting to ensure they were able to celebrate on a winning note.
Youngsters Cam Wills and Tyson Willis played very well while Josh Flight played well in the ruck and Hayden Barker was ever dangerous up forward with six goals. Another youngster in Baxter Cowley played his first full game in the seniors and showed considerable skill levels while Alex Harvey played his first game as the sub and did well when he came onto the ground.
Final score: Deni Rovers 17.13 (115) def Berrigan 5.5 (35).
Best Players: Allan Bond, Brendan Hope, Cam Wills, Tyson Willis, Josh Flight, Hayden Barker.
Awards: Physiofit with Britt – Allan Bond, Deni RSL – Brendan Hope, Frank n Beans – Cam Wills, Intersport Deniliquin – Josh Flight and Myo on the Move – Hayden Barker.
Allan Bond surveys the field in his 300th PDFL seniors game.
The Rovers milestone men listen to a quarter time address against Berrigan.
Rovers coach Josh Bode, Brendan Hope, Allan Bond and coach Alex Hay.
Brendan Hope, Allan Bond, Suzie Behsman, Shannon Bulmer, Liam Fleming and Daniel Mison members of the Rovers' 300 games club in attendance on Saturday.
Brendan Hope and Allan Bond were shouldered off after their 300 game milestones. Photo courtesy Mel Sampson.
12°C