'He was exceptional for us': Champion big man stars under lights

Merrivale star Manny Sandow shone brightest in the grand final re-match against Nirranda, covering for the late withdrawal of goal machine Dylan Weir and a calf injury to Nathan Krepp to boot four goals in the 9.8 (62) to 7.5 (47) win.

The Tigers held a slender lead for the majority of the night under Merrivale's brand new lights as a strong and vocal crowd enjoyed the occasion.

"Manny was exceptional. We had to force that hand a little bit with Dyl coming out late and Kreppy going down in the first quarter," Tigers mentor Josh Sobey said.

"We had moved him forward. His ability to cover the ground and to really defend that forward half for us was brilliant.

"It was sensational, pretty super to see."

Sobey said his group handled the "hype" of the night game well.

"I felt like we were really organised," he said.

"There was some hype around the game obviously which is fine but we wanted to compete. The message was clear that there was no pressure on what the scoreboard looked like.

"We just wanted to build on what we stand for and keep putting together a group that can do that on a consistent basis.

"That high pressure at stoppages was really impressive I thought."

Recruit Flynn Atchison was once again prominent for the Tigers while Jack Neave slotted three and midfielder Jalen Porter found plenty of the footy.

For the Blues, boom recruit Louis Kew slotted into the side comfortably while fellow newcomer Hugh Porter and midfielder Cody Wagstaff were also strong contributors.

Sobey believed the game was a huge success played in great spirits.

"It was a really good game of footy to be honest. It was great to watch the boys from both sides crack in and compete really hard," he said.

"The last quarter felt like it went for ages, there was some cramping in a high-pressure game. I think both groups would get a lot out of it.

"For me, it was a big success with the crowd. I spoke about it after the game, the ability to attract the personnel and families tied into other clubs or other leagues who don't get the chance to support their friends or families was great.

"We had some guys at Koroit who were past Merrivale players who could come down and watch their mates. It was really successful on that front."

In remaining results across the opening weekend of the season, Kolora-Noorat secured a 26-point win against South Rovers, 11.13 (79) to 8.5 (53), while Panmure survived a scare against Old Collegians to record a 16.8 (104) to 14.12 (96) win.

The Warriors stormed home after trailing by four goals at the final change but the Bulldogs, under new coach Adam Courtney managed to hold on and clinch the important four points.