Tallangatta and District returned to representative football with a bang on Saturday, smashing Ovens & King by 98 points.
Boom forward Trent Castles kicked nine goals, while former O and M star Brett Doswell claimed best on ground in the 19.15 (129) to 4.7 (31) hiding at Sandy Creek.
The match was effectively over midway through the first quarter when the home team had five goals and the visitors just one kick inside the opposition 50 - it was smothered - and rebounded back out.
"We felt if we teamed well, we were going to be OK, that was the focus before the game, just to try and play team footy," delighted TDFL coach Mark Sarau.
"To have as good as players as we had come together and play team footy was going to be our big challenge and they did it really well."
TDFL led by 50 points at quarter-time, but the O and K, led by former Carlton player Karl Norman, at least steadied and became competitive, restricting the home team to only two goals and posting its only one for the half.
However, normal transmission was resumed in the second half, with TDFL piling on nine goals to three, with all of those in the last term
Castles' marking was superb.
He didn't juggle one of his marks, taking 11 inside 50.
The left-foot powerhouse kicked 9.4 and missed the chance to hit double figures in the final five minutes.
"I knew I was on nine, I was thinking of 10 and don't know what happened, I was only 30m out in front, but that happens, I'm still happy with nine," he said.
Veteran Doswell finished with 30 disposals, including five clearances, while Ben Mason, Damian Wilson (21 touches), mercurial captain Jayden Kotzur (20 and three goals) and the powerfully built Ben Murphy (25) were all outstanding.
That entire group has played the higher O and M standard and it showed. In fact, the win was so emphatic, TDFL didn't have a poor player.
O and K stunned TDFL three years ago and it obviously served as motivation.
Norman, who turns 36 at the end of the month, was the only player to trouble the hot favourites, starting in the middle, but also spending time up forward as he claimed his team's medal.
Last Modified on 25/06/2019 11:27
