by Jim Gordon
JEPARIT RAINBOW V BEULAH
In a fascinating game at Jeparit, Beulah did just enough to get the points in a hard fought win against Jeparit Rainbow on Saturday. After a lot of rain during the week, the ground was heavy and added to the physical nature of the game.
Jeparit Rainbow was bolstered by the return of coach Luke Werner and defender Adam Schumann with Schumann playing one of his best games for the season. He was cool under pressure and was responsible for holding up the Blues on many occasions. Unfortunately for the Lakers, Simon Clugston missed the match due to a fractured wrist and Tim Miller was promoted from the reserves and played a solid game in his senior debut.
Jeparit Rainbow began well. Their fierce tackling put Beulah under enormous pressure early. Sean Bayzand showed his class winning lots of the ball.
Beulah wasted opportunities in the first term kicking five behinds and when Jeparit Rainbow came out in the second quarter and kicked the first goal, the Lakers had three goals on the board to Beulah’s nil.
The game became very physical as Beulah began to fight back looking to play man on man to stop Jeparit Rainbow’s run. There was a tough battle going on in the ruck between Justin Chilver and Steph Saunders in this quarter. In an effort to gain a physical presence for their respective teams, both gave away 50 meter penalties for indiscretions against each other in heavy clashes. After one melee in this term, a Beulah runner was yellow carded, something rarely seen in a football game.
Beulah won the game in first ten minutes of the third quarter when they kicked four goals before the Lakers scored their only goal for the term. To their credit, Jeparit Rainbow fought back after the Beulah onslaught and a long Sean Bayzand goal late in the quarter set up a tense final quarter.
An early goal to Jeparit Rainbow followed a few minutes of very tough football before Beulah kicked two goals to seemingly have the game well in their control. The Lakers kicked two quick goals to give them some hope, but Beulah kicked the final goal and it was game over.
For Jeparit Rainbow Bayzand played a top game, the two Clugston brothers won lots of the ball and Aaron Beer played well against a variety of players. Beer was hard at the ball all day. Nathan Cocks continued his good season with another impressive game and the young Laker defenders, Adam Schumann, Tyler Edelsten and Brett Jensz all played well.
HOPETOUN V WALPEUP UNDERBOOL
For the second week in a row the Devils had to show character and resilience to prevail over a very good opposition. Leading for most of the day and by as much as 40 points half way through the third quarter, the Devils had to withstand the Roos relentless challenge that saw them get to within seven points at three quarter time.
The difference in the end was probably the Devils’ ability to kick goals. The duel attack of Bryce Wellington and Kain Robins proved to be too much for the Walpeup Underbool defence to handle and between them they kicked a match winning 13 goals for the day. Wellington was unstoppable with nine goals and Robins looked dangerous all day and booted four. Matt Palmer played on Robins in a great contest and although Robins won the battle, Palmer was not disgraced.
Hopetoun started the game well. Liam Price was in scintillating form, Zac Robins rarely makes a mistake and because they were able to push the ball forward so often, the Robins Wellington team was able to overwhelm the Roos.
Walpeup Underbool fought hard with Wade Champion looking dangerous in the forward line, but Hopetoun ran the quarter out the better and finished two goals up on the Roos.
In the second term Hopetoun continued to put pressure on the Roos and were being rewarded, converting the good work of their on ballers and midfielders into valuable goals. Walpeup Underbool needed a spark and found one in the creative play of David Piasente and Jeremy Rowe as they began to fight back in the heavy conditions.
Each quarter began with Hopetoun dominating play and drawing away only for the Roos to fight their way back into the game by the end of the quarter. As in previous weeks, Walpeup Underbool were looking sluggish. It was only when they could find some run that they were in on the contest.
Josh Charles and Luke Nathan were teaming well in the centre for Walpeup Underbool and the Roos began to look dangerous and when they scored four quick goals in the latter part of the third term, it looked like they could take some momentum into the final quarter.
The first goal of the final term would be critical and after Walpeup Underbool had chances, the Hopetoun forwards made the most of theirs, they goaled and were able to get out to a matching winning lead. The Roos kicked three quick goals of their own in the middle part of the final quarter, but the damage had been done and Hopetoun took out what proved to be a comfortable win.
The Devils’ defence showed plenty once again. Simon Cook leads the pack, but Dave
Baulch, Ben Reid and Scott Heath are starting to find some real form and when Quentin Willmott drops back, it is a very strong line up.
This was another great win by the Devils. They are gaining confidence and belief in themselves as the season progresses. It was a great team performance and they had many winners right across the ground.
OUYEN UNITED V WOOMELANG LASCELLES
In arctic conditions at Blackburn Park, Ouyen United were far too good for a Woomelang Lascelles outfit that saved their best football for when the match was well and truly over. The Demons played an attacking game, they made use of the whole oval and took advantage of some very loose marking by the Cats to run out easy winners by 63 points.
The opening term was an entertaining, high scoring affair that was close for a while, but blew out in United’s favour as the quarter progressed. Playing on at all costs, United looked for a man out wide before bringing the ball into the corridor where they had plenty of players capable of kicking goals. Peter Caldow goaled twice in the first term and Ben Mole was already playing well and scored one of his six for the day.
Twice Demon Troy Moncur got the ball out of the centre and looked for Ryan O’Callaghan out wide setting up a pattern that the Demons were to follow all day. The fact that Glenn Joyce limped off and did not return had little or no affect on United, there were plenty of others lining up to take his place in the midfield.
The talented, hard running and versatile John Jackson played a great game. The Cats just could not stop him. Jackson has the ability to make position and mark on his own, he runs hard and straight and in the process bounces off any bodies that happen to be in his way as he projects his long drop punts towards his side’s gaols.
Half way through the third term the human dynamo sharked a ball that had ricocheted off a Woomelang Lascelles player standing the mark, Jackson gathered the loose ball, ran towards goal bouncing off the opposition like a pin ball machine and coolly booted it through from 45m. From the depths of defence to his team’s full forward line Jackson reined supreme.
Ben Mole was another Demon who had a field day. Mole covered a lot of territory in the Demon forward line. He ran, leapt and kicked some great goals ending up with six for the day. Quick at ground level, Mole is taking more marks as the season is progressing and is becoming a dangerous target up forward for United.
Trent Donnan was prominent early for Woomelang Lascelles, Anthony Foott tried his hardest to stem the tide and Aaron Lonergan kicked three goals for the day. Mark Charleson was a lively hard working ruckman all day for the Cats and tapped out well and took some good grabs around the ground.
In the first half, Ouyen United dominated right across the ground as they regularly had free men out wide. Alexander Morrish, Peter Caldow and Kale Barker spent most of the first half on their own with the result that they were able to keep the Demons in attack for long periods of play.
In acres of space on his own, time after time Barker was used as the link person as Ouyen United switched play across the ground. Barker had plenty of time to mark, run on and find the next link or kick long into attack. It wasn’t until the third term that Woomelang Lascelles got the message that he needed to be closely monitored.
Dom Leach was another who relished the freedom of being left alone in plenty of space. In the first and third terms Leach was a loose man in defence and regularly marked the ball on his own. Gaining in confidence as the match progressed, Leach then marked in the forward line and kicked some very good goals proving to be one of United’s best on the day.
In the third term, the Cats seemed to come out determined to play the Demons much closer. And it worked. Not only were they able to limit United’s scoring, but they scored themselves, something that they were not able to do in the second term. In fact the Cats outscored United by four goals to three this quarter.
Woomelang Lascelles tightened up and played their best football since early in the first term. When Barker and Moncur went down after some very close checking, the Cats at long last seemed aware of the need to man up and play one on one. Coach Anthony Foott had been imploring them to play this way since the first quarter, but the message just did not get across.
The result of this game has set up a enticing encounter next week between Sea Lake Nandaly Tigers and Ouyen United. The Tigers will go all out to win this one as they won’t want Ouyen United in the four come finals time. A win at home by Sea Lake Nandaly Tigers and it could be the end of United’s season. Woomelang Lascelles face the daunting task of trying to quell the inform Devils, rampant after their great win over the Roos.
Last Modified on 15/07/2012 15:00
