WOORINEN showed that they are very real contenders for this season’s Central Murray premiership by maintaining their undefeated status with a 17-point win over the Mallee Eagles on Saturday.
Played at the Woorinen Recreation Reserve and with the surface in immaculate condition, the Tigers led at every change to claim their fourth victory of the season with the 12.10 (82) to 9.11 (65) result moving them to outright first on the ladder.
The Eagles went into the match without key forward Darcy Hourigan who was a late withdrawal due to injury, while Woorinen were without defender Ben Booth.
The match opened up at a frenetic pace with Tigers ruckman Lachlan Gardner and midfielder Henry Thompson dominating the clearances, which enabled Josh Stone to show his class by kicking the opening goal of the game with a long 50-metre bomb, much to the delight of the Tigers faithful.
Doug Beames was able to mark and goal from the next act of play and the home side were off and running.
The Mallee Eagles were struggling to get into the contest such was the dominance of Gardner and Thompson, both of whom had the ball on a string.
The visitors simply couldn’t find a way to get the ball into their forward half with defenders Zac O’Meara, Tom McGregor, Isaiah Bull, and Harry McGregor working overtime to hold Woorinen from blowing the game apart at this early stage of the contest.
The Eagles did steady midway through the opening term, however, when youngster Jonah Devlin found the big sticks with a clever snap on goal, but majors to Henry Thompson and two goals to Will Collicoat meant the Tigers took a 23-point lead into quarter-time.
Mallee Eagles co-coach Brent Macleod gave his charges a good old fashioned spray at the break, telling them that they had a game on their hands and that their commitment to winning the ball in contested situations needed to change dramatically if they were to get back into the contest.
His words seemed to work early in the second term, with Jayden Post taking a strong pack mark which enabled him to kick his team’s second goal, with Macleod leading from the front by booting three goals for the term, with the Eagles lifting all over the ground.
Darcy McGregor started to find the ball along with Beau Bennett, while Bull and Zac O’Meara provided the visitors with plenty of run and drive off half back, which brought the Eagles back in the contest.
A Woorinen goal in time-on, however, enabled them to take a five-point lead into the main break, with the Tigers then coming out with all guns blazing in the all-important third term.
Jye Barry, who had been quiet by his standards, also lifted his work rate and began to find the ball, with Taylor Cameron and Elijah Miliado also winning plenty of the ball across half back.
Dangerous onballer Jose Miliado also lifted his work rate and won many valuable possessions in the midfield, with Henry Thompson continuing to dominate contested ball situations which enabled the Tigers to wrest back the ascendency.
The Eagles were well served in this term by Harry Allen, Hamish McGregor and Zac O’Meara, who continued to charge through the midfield in an effort to bring his teammates further afield into the game.
Woorinen kicked four goals to the Eagles two with the main highlight being Hugh Thompson’s beautiful right foot snap from 45-metres.
The last quarter was a see-sawing affair with both defences getting on top and turning the game into an arm wrestle.
The Eagles tried hard to wrest the lead back from Woorinen, but without Hourigan up forward and with Macleod giving away inches to his direct opponent Matthew Gardner, the Tigers were able to hold their opponents out, making a statement that they are genuine contenders in 2025.
VOTES
3 – Henry Thompson (Woorinen)
2 – Lachlan Gardner (Woorinen)
1 – Zac O’Meara (Mallee Eagles)
SCORES
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final Score |
| Woorinen | 5.2 | 6.4 | 10.8 | 12.10 | 82 |
| Mallee Eagles | 1.3 | 5.5 | 7.6 | 9.11 | 65 |
