LAKE Boga proved to be too strong for an injury depleted Swan Hill combination on Saturday with a dominant 68-point victory winning 14.10 (94) to 3.8 (28).
The match was played at the Lake Boga Reserve in front of a large and vocal crowd, but unfortunately for those in attendance the match never really reached any great heights as a spectacle.
The opening goal of the game was kicked by the Magpies’ Rex Hickman after Braden Padmore combined with Marty Parsons further up the field enabling Hickman to mark strongly in the goal square.
The game was very scrambly as players on both sides struggled to adjust to the windy conditions, resulting in them missing their targets by both hand and foot.
Parsons was the dominant player in this opening term, continually thwarting the young Swans’ forward thrusts on goal. He was well supported by the consistent Zac Warne who was able to pick up possessions at will through the midfield.
The Swans’ better players in this first quarter were to be found in their defensive half as the Pies continually pushed the ball forward. Veteran Jared Halligan was extremely effective across half-back, and he had great support from Will Simpson and Will Burns who continually repelled the Magpies.
The second term would be all the Magpies as they booted four goals to one with the assistance of the stiff breeze that was blowing to the southern end of the ground.
Hickman was proving to be a handful now for Simpson as he began to mark strongly across half forward enabling him to kick two goals in this term. These scoring opportunities were created due to the excellent work of Padmore, Nathaniel Holmes-Brown and Warne in the midfield.
The Swans captain in Luke Phelan lifted his work rate around the packs enabling Connor Arif to kick the goal of the day with a magnificent 35-metre right foot snap midway through the quarter that brought a huge cheer from the Swans faithful.
The third quarter again didn’t reach any great heights as a spectacle with the ball rebounding continually off both half backlines. Parsons again dominated play along with Ryan Fox who was lively on the outer wing with his renowned run. The Pies kicked two unanswered goals for the term with one each to Padmore and Bryce Anderson.
Burns was the Swans’ best player in this quarter as he stoically attacked pack situations across the Swans’ half-back line showing little fear for his own safety in an effort to ignite his fellow teammates.
Lake Boga held an impressive 39-point lead at the last change but early in the last quarter the young Swans began to link up a lot better. Phelan, Jack Brown, and Cooper Angus started to get hold of the Sherrin.
Two quick goals to Phelan and Simpson in the first five minutes of the last quarter gave the Swans’ supporters something to cheer about as an unlikely comeback could have been on the cards.
The Magpies were having none of this, however as Hickman again booted another two goals giving him an impressive bag of five for the day. Anderson kicked his second and Kai Everett shut the gate when he took a great one-handed mark deep in the forward pocket and then duly saluted from an impossible angle.
Late goals to Padmore and Bodi Clune meant that the Magpies had kicked seven for the term in an impressive display that must have pleased their coach in Dean Helmers as they now travel to Tooleybuc next weekend in what could be a winnable contest for them.
The young Swans tried hard and despite the score line they played some patches of good football and with a few more experienced players expected back in the next few weeks a win would not surprise.
SCORES
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final Score |
| Lake Boga | 1.2 | 5.4 | 7.9 | 14.10 | 94 |
| Swan Hill | 0.1 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 3.8 | 26 |
LJ Hooker best player votes:
3 votes: Marty Parsons (LB)
2 votes: Rex Hickman (LB)
1 vote: Nathaniel Holmes-Brown (LB)
