A DOMINANT second half saw unbeaten ladder leaders Woorinen record a commanding 135-point win over Lake Boga on Saturday.
The Tigers kicked 14 of the last 16 goals of the match, after earlier holding the Magpies scoreless in the opening quarter, on their way to a 25.16 (166) to 5.1 (31) victory.
It was a powerful display from a team that is quickly becoming the team to beat in 2025, with Woorinen coach Tim Free pleased with his team’s output after the match.
“I thought it was a really solid four quarter performance,” Free said.
“We started reasonably slowly, our ball use wasn’t wasn’t great in the first quarter and it took us a little while to get used to the conditions.
“But after quarter time we really sharpened up, our pressure across the ground was fantastic and we started to hit the scoreboard on a regular basis.
“I thought our midfield were dominant pretty much all day, Lachie Gardner in the ruck once again gave us first use more often than not and Henry Thompson, Lachie Warburton and Jye Barry at ground level were able to run the footy out of middle of the ground and give our forwards some fairly good looks.
“All in all it was a really pleasing performance.”
Gardner, Thompson, Warburton and Barry were all among the Tigers better players, along with Jose Miliado, who spent more time forward and finished with a game high six goals.
Miliado’s class was clear for all to see, especially in the second quarter, with Gardner producing another clear best on ground performance in the ruck.
Blake Reid and Matthew Gardner were also dominant across half back, with the Woorinen defenders helping to minimise Lake Boga’s effectiveness on the few occasions they were able to get the ball into their forward half, with Taylor Cameron’s run and carry from defence also impressing.
It was a tough day at the office for Lake Boga, with Magpies coach Dean Helmers lamenting the difference between the two playing lists post match.
“To the boys credit, they played a really solid first quarter against the breeze and that was with being forced to play with 17 after a send off,” Helmers said.
“Woorinen just have quality all over the ground and it’s very hard to stop when they bank on their teammate winning the ball and they are a step ahead of the game as a result.
“The difference in body size and strength has been a real issue for us this season as we are essentially playing a team full of kids.
“We know where we are at and it’s going to take a few years to get games into these guys and get them stronger and raise their skill levels and footy IQ.
“I think there’s a realisation at the club now that we can match the sides in the bottom half of the ladder, but we probably should have recruited a few more players to help the kids as the top sides are beating them up week in, week out.”
Braden Padmore was again among Lake Boga’s better players, along with Nelson Ibbs, Darby Hayes Nathaniel Holmes-Brown, Dylan McCosh and defender Andrew McDonald.
Woorinen will travel to Tooleybuc to face the Saints this Saturday, while the assignments for Lake Boga don’t get any easier, with the Magpies hosting the Cohuna Kangas fresh off a 53-point win over Kerang.
SCORES
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final Score |
| Woorinen | 4.5 | 11.10 | 22.11 | 25.16 | 166 |
| Lake Boga | 0.0 | 3.1 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 31 |
VOTES
3 – Lachlan Gardner (Woorinen)
2 – Jose Miliado (Woorinen)
1 – Henry Thompson (Woorinen)
