TWO weeks remain in the Mallee Football League season after Round 17 was played at the weekend.
Blues def Roos
WALPEUP Underbool dominated Beulah early despite a spate of injuries.
The Blues struggled to get their hands on the ball and were let down by inefficient kicking in their forward half.
The Roos put on five goals to Beulah’s three as they took a slim lead into the second term, and looked every chance of taking the game away from the Blues.
Both sides applied pressure in the second quarter and scores were tied at half-time.
After a tight first half, the Blues were keen to break free and they came hard at the Roos with a string of quick goals.
They piled on eight goals to Walpeup Underbool’s one and looked to have their game plan working.
The final quarter was a formality as Beulah ran out the match with another six-goal term.
Tim McIntosh made the most of a move up forward for Beulah with seven goals, while Brock Orval kicked five and Shaun Monohan booted four.
Monohan, Orval and Fabian Dorbolo were the better players for Beulah.
Goal kickers for Walpeup Underbool included Kane Munro with five and Jeremy Brown and Joab Mead with two, while Ryan Stacey, Travis Latta and Matthew Brown were in the best.
Demons def Lakers
OUYEN United travelled south to take on Jeparit Rainbow at Rainbow.
Both teams fought hard for the loose ball and the intensity around the ground saw the Demons head into quater-time with only a three-point lead.
The Demons stepped up the standard in the second term, but inaccurate shots on goal kept the Lakers in touch.
Jeparit Rainbow worked their way into the match in the second half, but Ouyen got a couple of early goals and didn’t let up.
The Demons put on seven goals to one to really put the match out of reach for the besieged Lakers.
The final quarter was much like the first, but it was all too late for Jeparit Rainbow.
The Demons impressed with a 60-point win, as they make their charge towards September.
Marcus Healy kicked five for the Demons, and Peter Caldow booted three, while Andrew Jardine, Benjamin Mole and Marcus Healy were all in the best.
Brodie Grant kicked three for the Lakers, while Luke Werner and Ben Marra kicked two each.
Wyatt Bacon and Lucas Edelsten were amongst the best.
Cats def Devils
HOPETOUN squared off with Woomelang Lascelles at Woomelang. While the Cats had a few injuries, the Devils welcomed a number of players back into the senior side.
Hopetoun came hard out of the blocks early and their hard work was rewarded as they took a six-point lead into the second quarter.
The Cats clamped down in the second term and stemmed the Devils run, but Hopetoun held the half-time advantage with a one-point lead.
The sides went goal for goal in a tense third term, with each and every contest hard-fought.
The Devils still held the one-point advantage at three-quarter-time and the match was poised to be an absolute belter.
The Cats really stood up in the final term, and showed why they will be a big threat come finals time.
They peppered the goals, and their defence stood firm when Hopetoun took the ball forward.
At the final siren, Woomelang Lascelles had held off a gallant Hopetoun by just 10 points.
Multiple goal kickers for the Cats included Rohan Coburn with three, while Jason Kreuger and Jeremy Phelan both kicked two.
Better players for the Cats included Coburn, Joshua Ratcliffe, and Jack Shannahan.
The Devils welcomed back Luke Cook and Coleman Schache, who kicked three and two goals respectively, while Ben Webster and Liam Price also kicked two each.
Sam White was best on ground for the Devils, while Hayden Drew and Zac Robbins were also in the best.
