Sport
17 April, 2026
FOOTY: Systems make big difference
The brief bright spot for Charlton came after St Arnaud set up victory with a six-goal first term while preventing the home side from troubling the scoreboard.
CHARLTON recruit Joseph Nihill gave the Navies their first goal of the season when finally breaking through a stoic St Arnaud defence in Saturday’s opening North Central football round.
It was midway through the third quarter and the Saints were about to go down a player when one of its recruits Lachlan O’Connell was sent from the ground.
The brief bright spot for Charlton came after St Arnaud set up victory with a six-goal first term while preventing the home side from troubling the scoreboard.
St Arnaud was dominant across the midfield and had three quarters of the play in the first 25 minutes.
When defenders were challenged, they stood tall and repelled through better systems, Numbers were always at the ball and options had been created.
Max Hunferford was dynamic around the goal score as the match settled.
But early majors to Torin Petrieand Joe Maishman gave St Arnaud the confidence to sound a warning to other clubs in season 2026.
Where St Arnaud had clean disposal, the pressure on Charlton forced errors and fumbles.
Charlton;s Elliott Fitzpatrick, Ben Lanyon, Jed Thompson were in there trying to emulate the tenacity of their new coach Carl Theisz. There were lifts from the Navies at the start of each quarter but the St Arnaud systems held firm.
The wind played havoc in the second term with St Arnaud kicking 2.6 while a lift in Charlton restricted the Saints in the third.
The final quarter saw St Arnaud sail home with a percentage boosting 9.7. Jake Lawry brought up Charlton’s second major for the day in the term.
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