TYNTYNDER caused arguably the biggest upset of 2022 when they defeated the highly credentialled Cohuna Kangas by eight points at Alan Garden Reserve on Saturday.
The Dogs played the better football in the first half and the Kangas played their best in the second – and in doing so, nearly wrested victory away from Tyntynder in the dying moments.
The opening term was a scrambly affair, with the ball rebounding off both half-back lines. Tyntynder were ferocious around the contest and their attack was exceptional. The Kangas looked very flat and consistently turned the football over due to the pressure being applied by the home side.
The opening goal, at the 13-minute mark, was a beauty, with Ben Hallam spotting up renowned goalkicker Jason Eagle deep in the forward pocket. Eagle kicking a lovely check-side goal. Livewire Brodie Bennett became a target across half-forward and kicked a lovely snap goal a few minutes later to apply further pressure on the Kangas.
The Cohuna Kangas were struggling to enter their forward 50 given the relentless pressure being applied by the Tyntynder onballers Hallam, Marcus Wattie, Elia Ware and Tom Bull.
The Kangas were able to get the Sherrin past their 50-metre arc late in the quarter, enabling Riley Hird to snap truly from 35 metres to bring up their first goal.
While the Dogs dominated the first term, inaccuracy in front of goal kept their lead to only 11 points. Kangas coach Neil Bradley was furious at the first change, telling his players they had a game on their hands and to get their minds back on the task at hand.
Tyntynder coach Josh Stone was extremely pleased with the pressure applied to the Kangas’ midfielders, but demanded his players concentrate more when kicking for goal.
In the second term goals were again hard to come by. Tyntynder’s defenders Tate Hulland, Pat Crowe and Elliot Broad kept leading goalkicker Rhys Free and fellow forward Dylan Johnstone from having any impact. At the other end, Tom Metherell and Brenton Conforti were tag-teaming Eagle to curb his influence.
Bennett snapped another great goal for Tyntynder to blow the margin to 20 points early in the quarter, but a nice mark and goal by Free late in the term kept the Dogs’ lead to 15 points at the long break.
The first half standard had been poor. Strong words must have been spoken in the Kangas’ changerooms at the main break, with Free lifting his work rate across half-forward, taking impressive pack marks and booting the first three goals of the term.
Goals by Tyson Farrant, Pat Doyle and Jarrod Findlay helped turn the game, with the Kangas grabbing a 24-point lead over a shell-shocked Tyntynder. A large melee developed late in the term, with Free being sent from the ground, which seemed to halt the Kangas’ momentum. Eagle got off the chain, giving a slick handball to Ware for his first goal, before Eagle began to rock, booting four great goals late in the term to help the Dogs regain the lead by five points at the last change.
The standard had lifted about three levels with the ball moving freely from end to end. The Kangas’ winners were Joel Helman, Metherell, Daniel Coates, Findlay and Johnstone, while Tyntynder’s better players were Hallam, Tom Bull, Ware, Pat Crowe, Bennett and Broad.
The last stanza was a ripper, with players from both sides throwing caution to the wind. The teams went goal for goal, the Dogs kicking four to the Kangas three and the lead changing several times. Hallam, Ben Derbas, Darcy Bibby and Bull were in every contested situation for the Dogs, while Helman, Metherell, Findlay, Coates, Hird and Chris Anderson through their combined efforts nearly snatched an unlikely victory in time-on. The siren sounded with both sides exhausted, having given their all in a quality second half that in the end was worth the entry fee.
VOTES
3 Votes Ben Hallam (Tyntynder)
2 Votes Jason Eagle (Tyntynder)
1 Votes Tom Metherell (Cohuna Kangas)
MATCH RESULTS
TYNTYNDER 2.7 3.13 8.15 12.17.89
COHUNA KANGAS 1.2 2.5 8.10 11.15.81
GOALS – TYNTYNDER – Jason Eagle 6, Zac Denham 2, Brodie Bennett, Tom Bull, Ben Derbas, Elia Ware 1.
COHUNA KANGAS – Rhys Free 4, Dylan Johnstone 2, Daniel Coates, Patrick Doyle, Tyson Farrant, Jarrod Findlay, Riley Hird 1.
BEST – TYNTYNDER – Thomas Bull, Elia Ware, Kyle Brasser, Marcus Wattie, Jason Eagle, Darcy Bibby.
COHUNA KANGAS – Tom Metherell, Daniel Coates, Jarrod Findlay, Joel Helman, Dylan Johnstone, Rhys Free.
