On Saturday 15th August the Northern Knights traveled down the Princes Freeway to Simonds Stadium to take on the Geelong Falcons in Round 16 of the TAC Cup. In great conditions for football it was the Knights who got off to the quick start with Matt Perry receiving a handball from Kieran Malone slotting a goal on the run. Unfortunately Matt suffered a severe injury when an opponent fell across his leg forcing him to miss the remainder of the game. The Knights then were able to add another major though Sam Peet before the Falcons bounced back a goal of their own. Kieran Malone continued to look dangerous inside 50 and kicked his first and the Knights took a five point lead into the first change. Geelong dominated the early part of the second quarter and pilled on three goals to break away however two big contested marks and goals from Michael Tilmouth-Turner allowed the Knights back into the contest and they only trailed by three points at the main break. The Falcons through potential top 10 draft pick Darcy Parish continued to dominate through the midfield in the third term catching the Knights in transition with their run and spread. Luke Bunker’s goal kept the Knights within striking distance down by 14 points at three quarter time. Northern though were disappointing in the final term and the Falcons took full advantage booting seven goals to one. Geelong ended up winning by 52 points following the Knights final quarter fade out.
Connor Dalgleish battled hard all day for the Knights in defence and emerged as one of the teams few winners on the day. Michael Mattingly was creative at times through the midfield while Brayden Fiorini continued to gather plenty of the ball with another 32 disposals. Bottom aged player Matt Signorello showed he can compete at TAC Cup level and Tilmouth-Turner was also strong up forward with five contested marks although accuracy in front of goal cost him a more significant impact on the game.
This weekend the Knights are again on the road when we travel to Bendigo to take on the Pioneers. Both teams sit near the bottom of the ladder with just two wins each so it shapes as a very important game for both sides. Northern will be looking to put the disappointment of the Geelong loss behind and return to the competitive form they had shown in the back half of the season, that has seen them in winning positions against a number of top 4 teams.
Last Modified on 18/08/2015 11:15