HAY produced a come-from-behind masterclass to pinch their second win of the season by the barest possible margin, the one-point defeat breaking the hearts of Macorna fans.
It provided the perfect full stop on a day of celebrations for the Lions, with club stalwart Simon Bunyan celebrating his 200th senior game in Hay colours with a five-goal, best-on-ground performance for his side.
Hay didn’t have things all their own way, a lacklustre first-half performance leaving them 20 points down at half time.
It wasn’t until the final term when the floodgates opened, the Lions first levelling the scores, then kicking 13 points clear as they made full use of the windy conditions.
The Tigers were far from done with, however. Key forward Lachlan Ritchie booted the final two goals, giving him eight for the match and cutting the margin back to one point.
That’s as close as Macorna would get, the home side holding on to claim victory 14.8 (92) to 13.13 (91), moving themselves into outright third on the Golden Rivers ladder.
While Hay senior coach Mick Cattanach was delighted with the result post-match, he was even more proud of the character his players showed in fighting back, having had their colours lowered in the before half time.
“We weren’t great in the first half and we made it pretty tough for ourselves, but hats off to Macorna, they competed hard and are a really good side and they really made us earn it,” Cattanach said.
“They structured up really well against us and we were made to work for the win.
“We ground it out in the second half, but I was really happy with the character that the boys showed to come back in the second half.
“We weren’t at our best and they competed well, so for us to fight back when we were down by 20 points in a game we had to win, it showed a heap of character.”
Ritchie was simply sensational for Macorna with his goals and his contested marking, almost stealing the spotlight in the dying minutes of the match.
Michael Roberts battled hard in the ruck, especially in the second half when competing against Luke Arandt, who started forward for the Lions but finished the game in the middle.
Lions forward Cooper Scott and midfielder Dom Booth were both among Hay’s better players, while the same can be said for the Tigers’ Hugh Mason, Jack Featherby, Harley Somerville and Shaun Haffenden.
Both Ultima and Moulamein continued their unbeaten starts to 2023 for another week, with the Roos accounting for Murrabit by 67 points, while the Swans were made to scrap for a 12-point win against Wandella.
After keeping the Bombers goalless for the opening 60 minutes of the game, the Swans then allowed the visitors back in with errant kicking in front of goals, holding on to a 19-points lead at three-quarter time.
While the Bombers continued to press in the last, they were unable to bridge the gap, with Moulamein setting up a mouth-watering match-up against the Roos next Saturday.
Ultima comfortably defeated Murrabit 21.12 (138) to 11.5 (71), with Zac Cattlin and Sean O’Reilly each booting four goals for the winners in a dominant four-quarter display from the Roos.
