By Jim Gordon
SEA LAKE NANDALY TIGERS V JEPARIT RAINBOW
This was one that got away. Jeparit Rainbow was a very disappointed team after losing by one straight kick to the Sea Lake Nandaly Tigers. The Lakers were coming off a very good win against the Cats the week before and the Tigers hadn’t had a win in their last four outings.
With scores all tied up at three quarter time, the Lakers kicked the first goal of the last quarter to put them six points up. When Sea Lake Nandaly Tigers lost a player to a yellow card infringement, it looked like the game was there for the taking. That was when the wheels fell off for Jeparit Rainbow. In a flash the Tigers kicked four goals even though they were one player down.
Sea Lake Nandaly Tigers started quickly out of the blocks. Taylor Hannig was playing well, Jarrod Alderton was getting a lot of the ball and with Joshua Longeri and Mark Roberts kicking goals, the Tigers were a much improved outfit this week.
Jeparit Rainbow was slow early and not surprisingly were three goals down at the first break. However, they had a much better second quarter outscoring the Tigers seven goals to two to take a seven point lead into the half time break.
Sea Lake Nandaly Tigers started the third term as they did the first term and skipped out to a nice lead before Jeparit Rainbow rallied and drew level at the final break.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, they were playing in bursts, and seemed to lose track of a game plan that had served them so well against Woomelang Lascelles. This was particularly evident in the last quarter when poor decision making, fundamental errors, and haphazard disposal cost the Lakers dearly.
At no stage during the day could Jeparit Rainbow shut down shut down Tiger coach Col Durie. He had another outstanding game in what is proving to be a stellar season.
For the Lakers, Corey Waldron ran himself into the ground, Ben Zanker kicked four goals and Luke Byrne played his best game for Jeparit Rainbow whether playing across half forward or on a wing. Ben Marra won lots of contested ball and was responsible for many Laker clearances and the Clugston brothers did well, although without their usual domination.
With Inter League this week, most players from these two sides have a week off. Then they front up to the top two sides in the competition, the Lakers take on Ouyen United and the Tigers have Beulah away. That round should be a good indication of how far these two sides can go this year.
OUYEN UNITED V HOPETOUN
In warm conditions with a breeze favouring the southern goal, Ouyen United and Hopetoun had an absorbing tussle at Blackburn Park with United coming out on top in the end by a little over six goals. The game was played in good spirit, there were individual flashes of brilliance and some great goals scored.
Hopetoun showed that they are well in the final’s race this year. They are a pacey and skilful side who mark well and kick to position. They like to use the whole ground and with their foot speed and number of young players, they create space. At times their short game came unstuck when they were forced wide only to lose the ball to Ouyen United’s bigger bodied onballers who often wrested the ball away, burst free and kicked deep into their own forward line.
Favoured by the breeze in the first term, Ouyen United took a while to get going whereas the Devils looked to be up and running, especially early when Thomas Pridgeon found Mark Adamson who passed to Jackson Fisher for a behind when a goal would have been a moral booster into the breeze. It was soon obvious that it was a very enthusiastic Hopetoun side that had come to Ouyen, determined to give the ladder leaders a run for their money.
This game was another brilliant display by United’s Brad Vallance. With Kain Robins in tow, Vallance was prominent early and found space after good play by Alexander Morrish for a behind. Not long after, Vallance marked and passed to Adam O’Callaghan for another Demon behind. Ouyen United’s first goal for the game was a gem and it came from Vallance after the Hopetoun kickout from the behind, went out on the full.
If Wellington could have goaled when he was well within range in the first term, Hopetoun would have benefited not only on the scoreboard, it would have been just reward after a period of very good play. Luke Milroy was running out of the centre, cult figure Reubin Vesikuru was in much of the play and they were getting good value from big men Simon Cook and Quentin Willmott.
In the second half, Ouyen United moved Dean Jardine onto Milroy. With Jardine’s close checking, he was able to negate some of Milroys’ influence.
Hopetoun’s Zac Robins was in great form winning plenty of the ball across the wing all day. At one stage in the second term, he used his pace to run free into the goal square and goal off the ground.
Hopetoun had Kain Robins on Vallance for the first and third quarters and Bryce Wellington for the other two quarters. Robins seemed to do his best work when he went forward rather than playing on Vallance who proved to be a dominant force for the Demons with his leading, strength and high marking. At times Wellington was able to quell Vallance’s influence with good punches from behind, much as Andrew Jardine was going for United up the other end.
Through sheer weight of numbers, and with terrific disposal out of the centre from the likes of Glenn Joyce (his best game of the season so far) Marc Hahnel and Brett Knowles, Ouyen United got results from their forward thrusts.
Sonny Lindsey is a perennial nuisance to opposition backmen not only because he uses his body to create space, but he is always looking to draw team mates into the game. Steve Hallam stuck closely to Lindsey all day, but with Dom Leach providing a foil and scoring two himself, Lindsey kicked six majors.
Ouyen United’s Jordan Manley looks a lot more assured this season and he is another of the Demon’s young brigade who is fast, clean in his ball work and a beautiful kick.
Losing a couple of players before the match with injury did not help the Devil’s cause. They played well at times and would have a sense of satisfaction not being blown away by a very classy Ouyen United outfit.
In the end it was indeed Ouyen United’s class that lifted them above the Devils. It was an admirable effort from the young Devil’s side, but the Demons were just too good.
WOOMELANG LASCELLES V BEULAH
Woomelang Lascelles will be very disappointed not getting the points at home to an accurate Beulah side that ultimately proved to be calmer and steadier in the crisis. The Blues were able to ride out the pressure put on them by the Cats, they made the right decisions when it counted and did not panic when the game was up for grabs in that tense last quarter.
It was a very entertaining game all day and in doubt right up until the final siren.
With 33 scoring shots to 25, Woomelang Lascelles should have won this match. In the first quarter they dominated large passages of play, but scored behinds when goals would have made it very hard for the Blues to come back even when they had the breeze in the second quarter.
In a best on ground performance, Woomelang Lascelles’s Trent Donnan played an outstanding game for the Cats. If only they had him every week; it is almost as if the whole side lifts when he is around and on the ball.
Christopher and Anthony Foott did well for the Cats as did Jason Kreuger with six goals and Chris Smith with four. Kreuger’s 60m barrel from half forward was a team lifting goal in the third term.
Beulah’s Dale Shannon was unstoppable and this week ended up with three goals. With Riley Lehmann kicking five and David King four, Beulah had forwards who kicked accurately when needed. Stephen Saunders controlled the ruck for Beulah and Tim Hill was anther Blue to play well all day.
Clayton Lee hurt his ribs and without him, the Cats lost some drive. Fortunately it was not too serious an injury and he should be right in two week’s time.
This was a much better effort by the Cats. They were hard at the ball and when in charge, they ran the ball forward in waves, something that was missing the week before and what they need to do every week as they are a much better team when we do so.
This was one that got away from the Cats. A win would have seen them consolidate their place in the four in a season that is wide open for final four placings. For Beulah, it is one that they won without looking the best side on the day. The sign of a good side.
Last Modified on 22/05/2011 14:48
