Match One: Tamworth Kangaroos 13.10.88 def New England Nomads 10.6.66 at Bellevue Oval
The Kangaroos have done what no team has managed to do in the past 9 months and defeated the league-leading Nomads in Armidale on Saturday afternoon. The win was set up in the first quarter as the rampant Roos dominated the under strength Nomads in the opening 25 minutes and were never headed to record an impressive 22 point win.
The Roos were switched on right from the opening bounce in this clash. They had control of the midfield and were running amok across the wide Bellevue expanse. 2012 Gilles Medallist Alex Hudson was a revelation across half back with his penetrating kick propelling the Roos forward where Matt Hodge was the main beneficiary early on. It was Hodge’s neat snap that started the quarter for the Roos and they never looked back as they lea by 24 points at the first change.
Needing to respond, the Nomads had all the early running in the second. Veteran Adrian Walsh was sent forward and kicked the first two majors of the quarter within 5 minutes, and when James Boatfield kicked his first, the Nomads were back within 2 goals. The Roos found the steadier through Hodge, but were out played for the period and saw their lead dwindle to 5 points at the long change.
They say the third is the Premiership quarter and this season it has been the Nomads who have dominated teams during the stanza, however the Roos took the fight right up to the Premiers. They piled on 4 goals for the quarter to the Nomads one and extended their lead back to 24 points with a quarter to play.
The first 10 minutes of the last quarter was always going to be a determiner to the result in this one, and it was the Roos who responded best, kicking the first 3 of the quarter to put the result to bed. The Nomads refused to yield their perfect season, and kicked the next 4 goals of the match, but when the final siren sounded, the Roos held on to their 22 point buffer and became the first team to defeat the Nomads in 2013.
Hodge was outstanding for the victors finishing with 6 majors in a strong performance. Dean Hoy finished with four and was strong all day as a marking target. Veterans Dan Overeem and Luke Robinson joined Hodge in the best for the Roos.
For the Nomads, Boatfield and coach Tom Granleese each finished with three majors, while Riley Connor, Hoani Morrell and Omphile Temoso were the best in a losing effort.
The Nomads will look to bounce back next week when they face the Bulldogs in Gunnedah while the Roos will be on the road again this time to Muswellbrook to face the Cats.
Match Two: Inverell Saints 19.28.142 def Gunnedah Bulldogs 6.5.41 at Varley Oval
The Saints maintained their spot on the TAFL ladder with a commanding 101 point win over the Dogs on Saturday afternoon. The home side led from the start to register their 6th win of the season and keep the Roos in third on percentage on the ladder.
The Dogs headed north knowing they needed to win to hold onto their spot in the TAFL top 4 and would have been keen to expose the Saints through the middle as they did when these teams clashed in Narrabri last year. However, the Saints were the team doing all the running in the first quarter of this clash and peppered the goals from the outset. Only poor kicking let them down from having an outstanding quarter, as they managed just 4 goals from 12 shots on goal, but the lead was 26 points at the first change with the home side looking in control.
The second stanza saw much of the same as the first. The Saints continued to push forward in waves and finally got their radars going, kicking 7 goals for the period in what was described as some of their best footy all season. The Dogs managed to kick another goal from their limited chances but stared down the barrel of a 66 point deficit at the long break.
The third quarter was all the Saints. However, in what must be a concern for coach Jason Gobbert, they continued to squander their chances in front of goal. While they kept the Dogs goal less for the period, they kicked 4.9 for the third and could have really got a boost for their percentage. The margin did extend out to 98 points, but the quarter was far from satisfying for the boys in red, black and white.
Perhaps sensing the frustration of the Saints, the Dogs were the team that made all the running in the final period. Each side managed 4 majors for the quarter, but the Dogs looked much more assured in front of the big sticks. They kicked their best score of the day in the last and will hope to take some confidence from that into their huge clash next weekend. The final margin was 101 points and the Saints got the 4 points they desperately needed.
The victors shared the goal kicking evenly across 9 different goal kickers. Chris Whitton, Toby Tollis and Scott Fermor were the major contributors with 3 each. Jono Elphick was their best, with captain Justin Pay and Tollis also good.
The Dogs were led in attack from young gun Tom Gee, who kicked 3 and was their best. Andrew Pratt and Chris Gee were also strong.
The Saints will head to Tamworth next weekend to face the Swans while the Dogs will be looking to pull off an upset against the Nomads in Gunnedah.
Match Three: Muswellbrook Cats 12.13.85 def Tamworth Swans 11.7.73 at Werriman Field
The Cats have earned their place in the TAFL top four with a gritty 12 point win over the Swans in Muswellbrook on Saturday afternoon. The last time the Cats were in the four was way back in 2007 when they went within a whisker of hosting the Grand Final that year. They now have a shot of playing finals footy again this season, and will have plenty of games at Werriman before the end of the year to get themselves there.
This match started off as a classic Cats v Swans affair. These two teams have been hard to separate over the past few seasons, and every contest saw both teams commit 100% to winning the contested ball. Neither team was able to break free over the first 25 minutes and the Swans held onto the smallest of margins at quarter time.
The second stanza was where the Cats stamped their authority on the contest. They piled on six goals for the quarter while the Swans could manage just 2. Veteran Ken Garland was again the focal point up front as started to get on top of the Swans defenders. The margin was 25 points at the long change and the Cats looked to have stolen a winning break.
The third quarter was very similar to the first as both teams bunkered done in defence and the match became a war of attrition. The Swans started to get themselves back in the clash and out scored the Cats for the quarter to give themselves a sniff of a comeback with 25 minutes to go. At three quarter time the margin was back to 19 points and it was still anyone’s games at that point.
The last quarter saw both teams going hammer and tong for every loose ball. The Cats had more than their fair share of chances but missed a few in front of goals, while the Swans couldn’t miss kicking 4 straight for the quarter. However, the Cats had done enough and their outstanding second quarter proved to be the difference as they recorded a 12 point win and secured fourth spot on the TAFL ladder.
Garland finished with 6 majors for the winners, while Beau Dixon slotted three in a strong performance. Troy Garling and John Mahy were also amongst the best on field.
For the Swans, they had many avenues to goal with Gavin Knee and Jordan Jeffriess-Tapper each kicking two. Jeffriess-Tapper was in their best, with Stephen Fairless and Maddison Smith also good contributors.
The Cats will now host the Roos next weekend while the Swans will host the Saints.
Last Modified on 28/02/2014 10:30