IN what could be considered as upset of the season, it’s the Mallee Eagles that have thumped first-placed side Woorinen by 42 points at Lalbert Recreation Reserve.
The 15.9 (99) to 7.15 (57) score has proven that the Tigers can be beaten, and now the Lalbert outfit only sit one game away from a guaranteed semi-final spot.
At the start of the contest, it was a tight and close contest between the top two sides, with the Mallee Eagles leading by just two points at quarter-time.
But the Blue and Gold side opened up the game during the second quarter, leading by 21 points at half-time, with Andrew Mead-Harding leading the offensive unit, having already kicked a couple of goals during his five goal contest.
Woorinen fought back in the third term, only trailing by 13 points; but with the amount of forward entries that they had, they could have been a lot closer if it was not for the lack of accuracy.
The Eagles punished the Tigers in the final term, as they went out in big fashion, kicking seven goals in the final quarter.
It was clear that the Mallee Eagles had some fantastic ball movement along with sharing the footy to an open man, with the stat line showcasing that the Lalbert side had nine different goal kickers in the contest.
After the contest, the Mallee Eagles co-coach of Harry Allen spoke to The Guardian and was full of praise for the way Mead-Harding and the offensive unit performed on Saturday.
“Yeah he played well, he kicked the first goal of the contest and I believe he kicked three goals in the final term so he definitely had a big performance,” Allen said.
“But we also had nine seperate goal kickers in the contest, so it’s great to have multiple goal kickers and not having to rely on one specific goal kicker.”
Allen also shared his overall thoughts on the contest along with giving some credit to Woorinen for the way they have played all season.
“Yeah the contest was really good, credit to Woorinen, they have had a really good season having not lost a game until now,” Allen said.
“A lot of people would have tipped the Tigers, which is fine by us, we know where we sit and definitely did not see the game as an upset at all.
“We only lost to them by 17 points last time out so it was a good game but we managed to fight the scoreline a bit more towards our favour.
“But overall the contest was good from both sides, having momentum swing changing all the time, so it was a really good four quarter performance from our boys.”
The praise continued from Allen as he went on to share compliments for the defensive unit, particularly for the full-back of Tom McGregor who had yet another solid game for the blue and gold.
“Yeah he was superb, we knew how he is able to shut the game down, he is by far the best defender in the league in my opinion,” Allen said.
“He is definitely a player you would consider a lockdown player along with Zac O’Meara and Isaiah Bull who can both run off and create some speed into the game, which is a luxury to have.
“Tom has had an incredible season and we know we can expect him to get the job done or at least break even with his opponent.”
With finals creeping ever so closer, this win could not have come at a more crucial point of the season, Allen believes that if the Eagles were to face Woorinen again, they will be able to repeat the same performance.
“Well, hopefully we get another chance to take them on, depending on how the ladder is shaping up,” Allen said.
“Woorinen will most likely stay on top, I don’t believe they will drop another game from this point forward.
“But we will still go into every game looking to win and the ladder will shape things up.
“I believe with our brand of footy, we can beat anyone.
“We only lost two games which was against Woorinen and NNW United, both of them were because we had periods during the contest that we weren’t playing the way we want to and our opponents punished us for it.
“But we look forward to hopefully playing the Tigers again and see how we go.”
Next week the Mallee Eagles will be having their final bye of the season before a four game push towards finals.
Meanwhile, Woorinen will be playing host to the reigning premiers of NNW United.
SCORES
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final Score |
| Mallee Eagles | 2.1 | 6.4 | 8.7 | 15.9 | 99 |
| Woorinen | 1.5 | 2.7 | 5.12 | 7.15 | 57 |
LJ Hooker best player votes:
3 votes: Andrew Mead-Harding (Mallee Eagles)
2 votes: Tom McGregor (Mallee Eagles)
1 vote: Jayden Post (Mallee Eagles)
