Mulwala cruised to another impressive win over one of last year's finalists Finley.
Finley opened the contest doing all the attacking but inaccuracy was proving costly.
Mulwala was having difficulty gaining forward fifty entries early and needed to make better use of the ball in the middle of the ground. Finley was the dominant team around the contests getting their hands on the ball first and using it very effectively.
Mulwala began to work their way into the contest which started to provide the opportunities we needed up forward. The players through the middle started to get going for Mulwala and this resulted in the score closing up so at the end of the term the score was 3.4.22 – 4.6.30.
Mulwala opened the second term as Finley did in the first attacking hard to kick the first two goals. Tom Beams snapped the third for the term and Mulwala was up and about. The small forwards were getting to the base of the contest and finishing off very well.
The intensity had certainly lifted from both teams as the ball rebounded end to end with sharp skills. Anthony Guiliara was a productive live wire in the forward fifty kicking goals and setting others up to help Mulwala retain the lead. A run of three unanswered goals off some clean centre clearances gave Mulwala a handy break midway through the term. Lee, Cam and Anthony were proving too strong for their opponents and the boys were happy to share the spoils.
Josh Hammond was dominating at the stoppages and the leg speed of young Jackson Weir was breaking the lines wide open. Finley was working hard to stay in touch but Mulwala was intent on building their lead.
A soft fifty metre penalty that turned into a 100m put Josh Hammond on the goal line on the siren for half time which helped Mulwala to a five goal break at the long break. 11.13.79 – 7.7.49
Mulwala opened the term very well with a goal to Lee James off a midfield turnover by Sean Robinson. The attack on the ball and the tackling by Mulwala was excellent with Finley constantly under pressure. Tyler Walsh, in everything across half forward, was creating opportunities for Lee deep inside the fifty.
In defence Bohdi Butts, Damien Cook and Zeke Flanagan were running the ball from the danger zone with ease. The fast rebounds from defence continually set players free in the midfield to target Lee James on the fast lead.
Chris O’Neill, Jake Beams, Nathan Cook, who had come into the team, were all playing very well. Mulwala’s ability to retain possession was the difference between the two teams in the third term. Michael Duiker’s precision kicking into the attacking 50 was pure class and resulted in Mulwala’s 16th goal and a nine goal lead leading towards three quarter time.
Seam Robinson’s delivery to the key forwards was just amazing. Cam Symes was enjoying the lace out delivery and his kicking from set shots was excellent.
Mulwala had been able to dispatch another one of last year’s finalists with relative ease and will head to the bye looking to rest and recovery.
The game was summed up by Tyler Walsh who was still taking hangers late in the last term. The young man had to go into the ruck due to injuries but not even that could faze the young star.
It had been a well constructed win by Mulwala with every player making significant contributions across the four quarters when required.
Final score: 21.20.146 – 12.13.85.
Reserves
The reserves opened up just how they left off last week with a goal coming to Brandon Kreek from the opening bounce and the boys were away. The Mul forward structure with Dizza Flanagan, Nick Gash, Mitch Marks and Brandon clearly had too much class for their Finley opponents.
In the middle of the ground it was the same story with Brad Wilson, Eli Boyer and Boxer Parish collecting possessions at will. To Finley’s credit they came back hard in the early part of the second term but Mulwala’s defensive players stood tall.
The Mulwala runners got going again to set the scoring opportunities up and the big boys up forward didn’t let them down. Brad and James Wilson were dominant all over the ground with Brad finishing off well in front of goal.
Lee Howroyd, Josh Ritoli and Cory Parish were the leaders in the midfield and this was allowing Mulwala to keep building a substantial lead.
Mulwala was dominating all over the park and continued on to record another strong win. 24.14.158 – 7.2.44
Thirds
Two very evenly matched teams battled out the thirds game in perfect conditions at Mulwala.
Michael Bourke was the dominant ruckman on the field giving the Mulwala runners first use of the ball.
Dale Powell was in control across half forward with his attacking moves keeping the scoreboard kicking over. Joel Hogan and Adam Rouel were winning plenty of the ball in the midfield to create scoring opportunities.
The Finley boys’ three unanswered goals at the beginning of the third term gave them a handy break. Michael Tabain kept his work rate up right throughout the game and was getting good support from Mitch Doughty and Lach Davis.
The last term proved to be a struggle for the Mulwala boys who were having trouble finding avenues to goal. At the other extreme every time Finley went forward their moves paid off which enabled them to extend their lead.
Late in the game the physical strength and bigger bodies were taking their toll on the smaller Mulwala players.
Liam Russell, Nick Ophert, Nath McNair and Mitch Doughty continued to win possessions but their efforts couldn’t produce the goals needed.
Fourths
This week the young Lions faced off against the boys from Finley.
Finley handled the slippery conditions a little better and kicked away to a solid start.
As the ground dried out the Mulwala boys started to find touch and each other. The longer the game went the better the Lions got. Sam Davis snapped a goal his father would never have attempted and the boys were on top. At every change, the coach’s message was that once they started doing the things they learnt at training, they would take control of the game. Being first to the ball and taking the first option pushed the young Lions out to a great three goal win. After the game, a great atmosphere prevailed in the rooms and the coaches hope this is repeated throughout the year.
To everyone who helped out on the day the coaches say thank you. Good players on the day were: James Bruce, Cooper Bennet, Angus Shand, Jack Diamond, Harley McCarthy, Cody Howard, Beau Nixon and Harry Crossley. A great team effort, one in all in.