An understrength Kiwis Diggers enhanced their finals hopes with a 3-1 win over Tudor Wests on Sunday.
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Jostling with Tudors for third, and the remaining finals spot, the win was an important one for Kiwis.
Andrew Millman struck first to put Tudors ahead but Jack Watson got Kiwis back on level terms before the break. Shaun Stevenson then gave them the lead midway through the second half before Josh Morris iced the win.
"That's four games without a loss now. That's good," Stevenson said.
"We're starting to find some rhythm now."
The win was all the more satisfying for the fact that they were without captain Josh Worpel, Luke Wilson and Mitch Burrows.
"We all stepped up when we had to," Stevenson said.
"And it was good to know we can get the result without three of our core players."
The conditions were the coldest Stevenson said he could ever recall playing in.
"That was the biggest challenge," he said.
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"We spoke before the game about how ordinary the weather was."
"But we all sat there and said we can't use that as an excuse and just really work together."
Which they did.
They were admittedly a bit scratchy early.
"Once we moved the ball around it was good," Stevenson said.
"We probably turned over a bit too much ball coming out of defence in the first 10-15 minutes."
"We were a little bit too impatient and there probably wasn't enough movement from our midfield and strikers."
They were trying to hit though Tudors which, as Stevenson pointed out isn't going to get you very far.
"Once we realised that if we used a simple pass we can go around them, it obviously opened them up," he said.
"It was just about being patient and using the right option."
Alex Taggart held the fort and was solid at the back, while younger brother Chris was good in the middle.
Kiwi Diggers 3 (Shaun Stevenson, Josh Morris, Jack Watson gls) d Tudor Wests 1 (Andrew Millman gl).
