'We got more hungry': Second-half surge secures Rovers maiden victory

In their first year of First Grade since 2019, the Rovers struggled in the opening rounds of the season due to absences and a lack of cohesion.

The return of key players and their head coach, club president Alex Barton said, was critical in their change of fortune on Saturday.

"We had a couple of guys out in the first week, we were short especially in First Grade," Barton said.

"Getting a few guys returning was good, and we got our coach back this week after he was out sick the first two weeks.

"Having him at the game watching from the sideline and being able to make changes made a big difference. You can only coach so much from on the field."

Although the team list looked much healthier ahead of the game, the team's performance in the first half was "lacklustre", Barton said.

It was only after a gee-up during the break that the players produced the intensity which saw them score three unanswered goals in the second half to come away with a 4-2 win.

"We just went out there with a bit more intensity, we got a bit more hungry and tried to close them down at their own end a little bit earlier," Barton said.

"We boxed them in, and the chances came from that."

After a close loss against the Moore Creek Mountain Goats in round two, in which Hillvue kept them scoreless for the majority of the game, to then produce a come-from-behind win has boosted the Rovers' confidence.

"Last week's game against Moore Creek, we held them out for 75-80 minutes and only went down 2-0," Barton said.

"The boys played really well last week, it was a really hard game ... we took a lot of confidence out of that. And then getting the win on Saturday will only boost morale further."

The Rovers will look to keep their winning run alive this Saturday when they take on Souths United at Johnson Field from 3pm.

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