THE penultimate round of Golden Rivers football sprung no surprises, with four sides looking further ahead to their upcoming finals campaigns.
Macorna travelled to Hay attempting to avoid a clean sweep in the match-up this season.
But it was the Lions who once again came out victorious, by 48 points, 13.10 (88) to 6.4 (40).
Hay captain Brad Pocock continued his fine form and was instrumental providing a rebounding threat for his side.
His fellow half-backer Jack Cattanach was another of Hay’s best performers, as were wingman Daniel Stewart and Tim Zambon.
Hay’s back line kept a tight hold on the Macorna forwards, keeping them to just 14 points by half-time.
While their defenders kept up their hard work, Hay’s full-forward Declan Watson kept the scoreboard ticking over.
Watson finished the game with four goals, while Dom Booth, Joel Crocker and Hensen Hargreaves all claimed two goals.
Hay will be hoping to cause an upset against ladder leaders Ultima in their final game next round.
With just one loss to their name, Ultima will be expecting a deep run in the finals and will hope to carry on their winning momentum.
They scored a big win against Murrabit, 19.10 (124) to 4.5 (29).
The Blues were held to just one goal in the first half, while the Kangaroos piled on 10.8 before the main break.
Jake Foster was one of the Kangaroos’ best players, one of six multiple goal scorers along with Caillum Brady, Corey Grey and Sean O’Reilly.
Bailey Codling led for Ultima with four goals, one ahead of Ryan Devereux. Murrabit’s star forward Damian Cupido was held to just one goal, while Nathan O’Toole kicked two.
O’Toole was among the better performers on the losing side, as were Jono Aujard, Morgan Randall and Ashton Wood.
Moulamein bounced back with a tough victory against Wandella, 14.13 (97) to 7.12 (54).
Onballer Amos Farrel was the game-changer for the Swans, kicking a bag of four goals from the middle. He was strongly supported by James White and Rodney Reed.
Bombers forward Adam Ward was the losing side’s best performer, kicking three goals in a game where Wandella hung around but couldn’t get within striking distance.
Wandella’s other best performers included Russell Rich, Tim Robinson and Austin Crellin.
With the ladder’s final position set in place, the upcoming final round may come as a chance to rest some tired bodies or throw players into different positions.
Ultima and Hay will be the game to keep an eye on, with the clash potentially an early look at a late finals match-up.
