TOOLEYBUC-Manangatang’s 2025 season came to a bitter end at the hands of Woorinen on Saturday, with the Tigers locking away the minor premiership with an impressive 104-point win.
The Saints’ season was effectively over at half time after being held goalless in the first half, with the visitors’ first goal not coming until the start of the final term.
Woorinen on the other hand piled on 14 consecutive goals before that point to further illustrate why they are the team to beat over the final four weeks of the season, with the Tigers’ structure and manner of ball movement as equally impressive as the 19.16 (130) to 3.8 (26) final score line.
In a worrying sign for Woorinen’s four fellow finalists, the Tigers appeared finely tuned in all aspects of the game ahead of their second semi-final encounter with either Cohuna or the Mallee Eagles in a fortnight’s time.
Their ball movement was a delight to watch, particularly in the first half, with their ability to transition the play from defence to attack in the blink of an eye making them impossible to stop.
The Tigers tried to bring the ball back through the corridor at every opportunity and took the game on with reckless abandon, although their ability to break the game open and find space with their forward handball game also came from the knowledge they were well organised behind the ball should they turn it over.
On the few occasions Tooleybuc-Manangatang did get the ball forward of centre, they were met with a wall of defenders led by Matthew Gardner, who intercepted countless errant entries from the Saints’ onballers.
Gardner had plenty of help however, with Mitch Uhlhorn, Taylor Cameron and Kane Reid also finding plenty of the ball across half back, while Henry Thompson, Jye Barry and Lachlan Warburton were also impactful around the contest.
The only negative in the Tigers’ game was their inability to make the most of their opportunities up forward, with the ball seemingly living in Woorinen’s attacking half of the ground for the majority of the first half, with the 50-point margin at half time unbelievably flattering the Saints.
Tooleybuc-Manangatang struggled to not only get their hands on the ball but also maintain possession when they did, with Woorinen hunting them down with relentless pressure that forced countless turnovers in critical areas.
The Saints lost all structure during the first half with their inability to maintain possession, but it was their lack of movement that hurt just as badly, forcing them to regularly kick the the ball long down the line to a contest and as such play right into the hands of the well organised Woorinen defence.
There were very few players who didn’t win their position for the Tigers, but it was their midfield where the result was ultimately determined, with Lachlan Gardner nullifying the influence of Conner Mcdonald in the ruck.
Mcdonald was still one of the better players for Tooleybuc-Manangatang, but he wasn’t at his game breaking best either, with Gardner giving Woorinen’s onballers first use around the stoppages almost as regularly as Mcdonald did.
Despite missing a few opportunities early, the Tigers’ forward line functioned well with Matt Perry and Doug Beames providing strong marking targets all afternoon, with Perry dangerous on the lead deep and Beames rolling across half forward.
William Collicoat and Jose Miliado were also dangerous inside attacking 50, with Miliado also finding plenty of the ball through the midfield as well.
Elliot Chalmers worked tirelessly for Tooleybuc-Manangatang to be one of their better players through the midfield, along with Sebastian Rogers.
Young defender Rydar Morris continued his breakout season for the Saints and provided plenty of run and carry from defence, while Josh Williams was also good as an intercept defender across half back.
SCORES
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final Score |
| Woorinen | 5.6 | 7.11 | 14.15 | 19.16 | 130 |
| Tooleybuc-Manangatang | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 3.8 | 26 |
VOTES
3 – Matthew Gardner (Woorinen)
2 – Henry Thompson (Woorinen)
1 – Mitchell Uhlhorn (Woorinen)
