THE rapidly improving Quambatook travelled to Nullawil to take on the Maroons in round 11 of the Golden Rivers Football League (GRFL).
Under coach Paul Messer the Saints were a rapidly improved force, with a part of that being the coach’s star power.
The match began with Nullawil kicking with a strong breeze towards the town end, and Quambatook persisted with a loose player behind the ball to clog up Nullawil’s forward entries.
They did this successfully as the Maroons seemed to have outnumbered contests in the forward line, and most of their entries were rushed or inefficient.
Inaccuracy also cursed them with a narrow 10 point lead at half time being the result.
In the second quarter, Quambatook’s midfield had a burst where they were able to get on top and kick quick goals.
Coach Messer kicked three in a row, as well as Andrew Spangler and Gregor Knight contributing they were able to hit the front and make use of the wind.
They seemed to be winning the key contests, and Ricky Jochinke was dominating across the ground.
They took with them a narrow five point lead at half time which was only made the case by Glenn Smith’s countering major after the half time siren.
The Maroons knew that they needed to lift after the break and they started frenetically with their pressure.
The midfield in Harrop, Mathiske and Watts took control in a burst of 10 minutes where they kicked four quick goals and broke the margin out to 20 points their way.
Quambatook reacted quickly however, and played a smart defensive game style into the wind which continually broke down the forward entries of the Maroons.
The catalyst of this was Jack Baker who was the loose man behind the ball and was a thorn in the Maroons side.
He played the role of a road block which benefited the Saints enormously, and at three quarter time they had a huge sniff of victory only trailing by 14 points with the benefit of the breeze in the last quarter.
The Maroons knew the game was on the line and within 50 seconds of the restart they extended the lead through a Scott Mathiske snap.
While not Mathiske’s best game, his three goals and telling possessions made a real difference and he was a critical player in the last quarter.
They further extended it through the prolific Harrop, and when the margin got to 26 points it was looking dangerous for the Saints.
Quick goals to Travis Smith and Messer made the margin cut again through quick goals, and the Saints never gave up the possibility of the upset.
When it came to the crunch though, the Saints just couldn’t quite get close enough to get the upset.
The Maroons just knew how to find a way how to win and get the job done in the clutch moments of the last quarter.
They remain on top of the ladder and have a few winnable games to come.
The Saints proved that they are a finals contender.
They have taken it up to two premiership contenders and just need to keep winning to make the four.
Maroons def Lions
ULTIMA retained third spot on the Golden Rivers Football League ladder with a 135-point thumping of Hay on Saturday.
Going into the game as favourites, the Roos did what they had to in the opening three quarters to secure victory.
A young Lions outfit missing eight players gave the home side a challenge, kicking the second goal of the match and using its opportunities in front of goal, thanks to the support of a three-goal breeze.
The hard work was eroded in the second quarter, with Ultima kicking six goals to nil.
Hay again benefited from the breeze in the third quarter, kicking two goals to four and providing its supporters with hope that a triple-figure loss would not eventuate.
Consecutive goals in the opening five minutes of the last quarter saw Hay cut the margin back to 10 goals, but a 12-goal blitz in the last 30 minutes of the match ensured the Roos boosted their percentage.
Brendan Kelly led the way for the home side, kicking seven goals across three quarters, while Ultima coach Luke O’Toole and ruckman Tanner Christie were dominant in the midfield.
Hay’s best players were Patrick Jubb, coach Ash Germano and David Reardon, who kicked four of the Lions’ goals.
Hawks def Blues
WAKOOL extended its number of consecutive wins to seven with a 75-point win against Murrabit at home on Saturday.
The Hawks were able to coast to victory thanks to a dominant second half.
The Blues, who now sit seventh on the ladder, kept within four goals of the hosts during the opening half of the match, before being overrun in the final two quarters.
Luke Kirkland continued his dominance in front of goal, kicking six majors.
Ben Jones provided both support across the half-forward line and in front of goals, kicking four majors in a best on ground performance.
James Murphy kicked three goals for Murrabit, with co-coach Nathan Henry kicking two.
Bombers def Swans
WANDELLA has re-entered the GRFL top four with an 82-point win against Moulamein on Saturday.
The win provided a much-needed percentage boost, with the Bombers displacing Quambatook after the Saints lost to Nullawil.
The Swans challenged the Bombers early, with a repeat performance of the round two encounter on the cards.
However, Blake Anderson’s side provided significant defensive pressure, resulting in the Swans kicking four behinds following half time. Lachie Bott kicked six goals for the winners, with Anderson and Troy Banfield kicking four each. Ben Booth and Colin Keatch kicked two goals each.
