QUAMBATOOK 19.13.127 defeated HAY 5.11.41
Quambatook brushed off the difficult news that their club would fold at the end of the season to record a resounding victory over a disappointing Hay on Saturday.
The Saints recorded their second win of the season with a convincing 86-point margin.
The win sees Quamby move into third on the ladder and within striking distance of the top two – while at the same time leaving the Lions as one of only two teams yet to record a win in season 2022.
With two strong wins against quality opposition over the past fortnight, Quambatook coach Tim Free was bullish that his team was on the up following their heavy loss to Nullawil in round one – and that his sides best football was still to come.
“It was good to get the four points, it wasn’t the prettiest game of footy but we’re still improving week on week and it was good to get the points at home,” Free said.
“We were pretty efficient in the forward half, which was where we probably had the advantage over them in the end – I felt Hay’s midfield broke even with us for much of the game, but we were able to capitalise on their turnovers and launch our attack from half back.”
“With that said, we were really quite dangerous in our forward half and really made the most of our opportunities and were able to lock the ball in our forward half which enabled us plenty of repeat entries – the footy spent a fair amount of time in our front half, which is the brand we want to be playing.”
While Free was pleased with his team’s performance, saying it was a solid effort from the entire 22 – he reserved special praise for two of his forwards.
“I thought Brady (Tillig) was sensational – he played that small half-forward role and was probably one of the best games I’ve seen in a long time from a player in that role, to be honest,” Free said.
“It’s such a hard role to play because you can often go for long periods of time without getting many opportunities, but his efforts at ground level to apply pressure and kick five goals himself – he was a standout for me.”
“It was also great to see Ash Murray get on the end of a few, his confidence rose on the weekend, which is a huge positive for us as he’s a really strong presence coming out of the square and is a really good target – if he’s not grabbing the footy, then he’s bringing it to ground for some of our smalls to get into the play which is crucial to our forward structure.”
Matthew George was another Saint who was influential across half back along with Nick Birthisel, while ruckman Michael Bradbury and Dylan Pascoe were also among Quambatook’s better players.
For Hay, Nathan Wilson, Kenneth Jubb, Brad Pocock, Liam Whitbourne, Trent Lang and veteran Daniel Gash were among their better players – while Daniel Stewart across half back also played well.Maroons dominate Swans
NULLAWIL 16.21.117 defeated WANDELLA 1.5.11
Nullawil continued on their unbeaten way at the weekend, with an assertive 106-point thrashing of rival Wandella.
The final margin could have been much worse if the Maroons had their kicking boots on, with the visitors kicking 16.21 (117) – while restricting the Bombers to just six scoring shots and 1.5 (11).
With Ricky Cathie out injured and Leighton Wilkins playing predominantly forward, Nullawil ruckman Dean Putt was able to do as he pleased out of the middle, setting up Nully’s classy midfielders in Matt Quigley, Andrew Casey, Grant Ford and Jordan Humphreys to dominate around the stoppages.
The inexperienced Bombers at times lacked a bit of class and polish, with their more seasoned rivals finishing off their good work forward of the football and hitting their targets inside forward fifty with continuous ease.
Mitch Farmer finished as Nullawil’s leading goal scorer with five majors, while Andrew Casey had a day out with four goals of his own as he rotated between midfield and forward. The usually prolific Andrew Oberdorfer on the other hand was well held by Tim Robinson, with the Wandella veteran keeping Oberdorfer to just two goals for the afternoon.
The news doesn’t get any better for the Bombers ahead of their must-win game next weekend against Macorna, with the Bombers having to take on the Tigers without young ruckman/forward Leighton Wilkins, who is set for an extended stint on the sidelines after suffering a broken collarbone during the game.Tigers surge into top four
MACORNA 19.17.131 defeated ULTIMA 10.6.66
Macorna have pushed their way into the top four on the weekend after their strong 65-point win over the winless Ultima on Saturday.
The Tigers led at every change – but it wasn’t until after half time that the visitors really put the Roos to the sword, with an eight-goal-to-one third quarter putting the game beyond doubt – with the final scores reading 19.17 (131) to 10.6 (66).
The Tigers were simply unstoppable in the blistering third quarter, with Josh Cameron doing as he pleased off half back and racking up possessions at will throughout the destructive half an hour of football.
Youngster Toby Whinfield played perhaps his best senior game of football through the midfield for Macorna, while Kansas Varker, Josh Walters and Jacob McIntosh were also among the Tigers better players – along with coach Jaydon Stiles, who finished with a game-high six goals.
Mitch Seton-Stewart was once again among Ultima’s better players, particularly in the first half where he dominated out of the middle, before being tagged in the second half. Tyrone Munro played his best game of senior football to be named as Ultima’s best player, while Jye Purtill took the points in his ruck duel with Macorna’s Nick Leach. Blues’ gallant effort
MOULAMEIN 14.9.93 defeated MURRABIT 9.3.57
Despite a slow start, Moulamein have kept their undefeated record intact with a 36-point victory over a gallant Murrabit to complete round three in the Golden Rivers FNL.
It looked like an upset may well have been on the cards at quarter time, with the home side matching their more fancied rivals blow for blow over the first 30 minutes, with Murrabit eventually taking a four-point lead into the first break.
Normality was quickly restored however as the Swans piled on five goals to two in the second term to hold a sixteen-point lead at half time. From there, Moulamein were never headed as they continued to extend their lead after the main break before eventually running away with a 14.9 (93) to 9.3 (57) victory.
