by Nicholas Duck
Garfield's star is finally rising in 2025 after securing their first four points of the year in thrilling fashion with a four-point win over Dalyston away from home.
In a game that had no clear frontrunner for most of the day the Stars were able to rain on the Magpies' parade after the home side celebrated a successful country edition of the famous Big Freeze slide.
The chilly conditions and some wayward goalkicking presented as much of a challenge as the opposition at times but in the end the visitors held firm, booting three goals to one in the final term to prevail 7.13 (55) to 7.9 (51).
The win, their first under first-year coach Eddie Morris, sees Garfield pick themselves off the bottom of the table in a major reward for effort.
Teenage ruck Ding Dieng was simply phenomenal for the Stars, getting the better of experienced Magpie big man Kurt Thomas late in the day with his strong leap and proving pivotal to their fourth quarter surge.
Dieng took out the league under 18s best and fairest last season and looms large as a major reason for Stars fans too excited for what's to come.
Matt Rennie was a major threat around the half forward line, connecting with his teammates while kicking two goals himself.
Brody Turner played a strong hand down back even after having to come off in the third term following a major collision with teammate Ben Tenace-Greenall, who himself battled manfully while sporting a sore calf in the backline despite Magpie Blake Carew proving to be a handful.
Jack Tenace-Greenall found some confidence in the midfield as Angus Emery rounded out the best for the winners, proving to be a wall in the backline.
For Dalyston it was a one-man show up forward for much of the day as Blake Carew booted their first five goals of the day, picking up plenty of slack in the absence of Hayden Wallis.
Garfield's move to put skipper Jack Barnes down back helped quell his potency late in the game even as he still threatened to be the matchwinner.
Kyle Hutchison played an excellent stint of wet weather footy, throwing himself at everything and willing the ball forward. Bradley Tilley, Angus Rosenow, Fraser West and playing coach Mitch Hallahan all also impressed.
It wasn't the best of days to be a spectator down at The Nest given the biting wind and dour rain that came and went throughout the match.
But regardless the town of Dalyston showed up for a genuine arm wrestle between two teams sensing a rare opportunity for a win.
Their last encounter in 2024 being a one-goal win to Garfield made that chance all the more tantalising.
The first quarter played out as expected in a tight tussle, the two teams trading blows.
Carew made his mark on the contest, booting all three of Dalyston's majors and looking like a man possessed.
Goals to Rennie on the run and Jake Van Den Berghe from a mark in the goal square kept the visitors in touch, even if they did burn a few chances.
Come the second term and the Stars became a defensive juggernaut, locking the ball in their forward half and refusing to let the Magpies through.
It wasn't until well into the quarter that Dalyston finally registered an inside 50 in a pressure-filled performance that would have had Morris smiling.
What might have tempered that smile was their inability to punish the Magpies the other way. Behind after behind kept the Stars from really taking a chokehold on the game, until Rennie finally gave them some reward from a set shot after six straight behinds.
Garfield went into half time five points up when they really could have been five goals up.
With that door left ajar Dalyston looked prime to storm through it early in the third led by that man Carew again. Two goals to the spearhead in the first five minutes of the quarter pushed the Magpies ahead as the rain teemed down, a heavy collision between Ben Tenace-Greenall and Brody Turner that forced them off the ground only making things worse for the green and gold.
Another goal, this time to Magpies' stalwart Rob Davey in his 300th game, had the home crowd rollicking even more and Garfield on the ropes.
Jed Pinkerton benefitted from a rare double 50-metre penalty, the first for dissent and the second for an off-the-ball scuffle, to go from half back all the way to the goal square, keeping the deficit at eight points heading into the last.
The Stars needed a hero early in the fourth and found it through their skipper Barnes, who stepped up with a tough long-range set shot to get them even closer.
Garfield full forward Mitch Johnson, who had been well held to that stage, found his moment soon after, kicking two quickfire goals to have the Stars in the box seat.
Despite the cold Garfield felt the heat a little, a 50-metre penalty giving Magpie Jaxon Foon the easiest of goals and bringing the margin back under a goal with not long to go.
Dalyston pushed late before the final siren finally sounded to Garfield's jubilation as they got on the board for season 2025.
Speaking post-match, Morris said that while it was a sloppy game in the wet he was happy to have secured his first win.
"We were moving the ball well even in the wet. I thought honestly we were the better side for most of the day which I haven't been able to say much yet this year."
"It's good to get that win, it's a relief I suppose. Hopefully it gives us the confidence to go from there and gets us rolling for the rest of the month."
The Stars will now host Kilcunda Bass this Saturday at home.