Round 15, Foster Showgrounds
Yinnar 7.4 (46) to Foster 3.9 (27)
Yinnar kicked the first three of the game before the reigning premiers answered with two of their own, after which scoring became harder than putting toothpaste back in the tube. With only four goals kicked from quarter time onward, the Pies got the win they needed, virtually wrapping up the double chance.
Whether Foster got the loss they needed remains to be seen, but with the perfect season now off the table all the Tigers need worry about is defending the premiership they won last year.
There was plenty of activity prior to the bounce. Foster named the league's leading goal kicker Brett Eddy, but he was not playing, and neither was vice-captain and workhorse Michael Cooke, whose importance as the conduit between back and forward lines may not be fully recognised until these two sides meet again. Yinnar too were missing skipper Ben Cheffers, confined to runner duties, though Clancy Mills returned from a mid-season break through the lunchtime league.
The early matchups were intriguing, with Mark Stolk on Foster's Jake Best, Pat Kearns assigned to Shaun Chaseling, and teenage Oli McColl facing the considerably more seasoned Jack Weston. At the other end, Craig Wray lined up on Kane Grinstead-Jones, Tom Littore went to Lachy Pratt and Liam Bentley to Will Robertson.
Yinnar wasted no time. Nixon Hall opened the scoring, Blake Van Der Meer ran into an open goal for the second, and when Mick Geary found Will Robertson for the third inside ten minutes, alarm bells were ringing for the league leaders. Foster steadied. Jake Best out-marked Stolk and kicked truly from outside fifty, before Angus Norton was gifted a goal, but they would get no closer for the rest of the afternoon.
Ben Skinner found Pratt late in the term for the first of his three and Yinnar went into the first break with a thirteen-point lead, Nixon Hall, Flynn Schill and Jesse Bowe all prominent.
The third term ended with a goal apiece, Pratt for Yinnar and Jack Flavelle for Foster, but the margin actually widened as the afternoon wore on, not through Yinnar scoring but simply because scoring became so difficult. The final quarter produced three Foster behinds and nothing from Yinnar, both sides more interested in getting through unscathed.
Post-game, Foster coach Jake Best was measured. "It was a tough day in really challenging conditions. Credit to Yinnar, they started strongly and put us on the back foot early." Yinnar coach Sam McCulloch was equally understated. "We started the game with great intensity around the contest, allowing us to establish an early lead that ultimately set the foundation for the victory. The conditions were challenging, but we adapted well and remained composed." Mitchell Berechree
Fish Creek beat Sharks in watery match-up
Round 15, Terrill Park
Fish Creek 5.11 (41) to Tarwin Lower 3.3 (21)
Fish Creek did nothing more than what they needed in recording a twenty-point win over Tarwin. With Jackson Wiedemann still not on the park and Jack Hayes not overcoming an injury from late in last week’s loss to Foster the Kanga’s were short of their best side but, as good sides do, still found a way.
It took the Kangas 16 minutes in the first term to find a major and then 14 in the second to kick their second for the day, such were the conditions. In retrospect, when Rhett Wiedemann kicked truly at the 17th minute mark of the second quarter to extend the lead to 21 points Fishy had probably done enough.
But with their season to play for, Tarwin fired back shortly after the main break when Toby Mahoney, perhaps the major beneficiary of Hayes’ absence, kicked the first of his, and his side’s three for the day. It may have taken to the 15-minute mark of the third for Tarwin to register their second, but when Mahoney again kicked accurately, there were under two kicks in the contest and the visitors were a huge sniff.
The last quarter was a battle between the arcs with only Fishy managing to score early. Their three behinds seemed wasteful, but extended the lead beyond two goals, which might have looked like a dozen or more on a dry day, so hard was the scoring.
But it was all academic when Harry Smith slotted his second and the margin became greater than three goals, which was of course more than Tarwin had managed for the day to that point.
Mahoney eventually slotted another for the Sharks, but it was too little too late.
Wingman Blaine Coates and defender Tom Valenta were the best duo for Fishy with Reghan Lewis backing up his terrific game versus Foster with another vote grabber this week. Wiedemann and Smith kicked a pair each with Sam McGannon, who also found his way into the best, the only single goal kicker on the park for the day.
For Tarwin, defenders Ricky O’Louglin and Lachie Jones were the best pair. Fergus Warren snuck on to the podium as third best while Toby Mahoney, who kicked all of Tarwin’s three goals coming in just behind him.
After the game Tarwin coach Lachie Jones said of the day; “a game in tough conditions today but full credit to Fish Creek. They were missing some key pieces, and they still are hard to bust open”.
Winning coach Jarrod Walker said post-match that the game was “a tough slog all day with ground conditions making it extremely hard to move the ball and score.” He noted this “resulted in a big stoppage game and gaining territory by any way possible. Being able to lock the ball in our half of the ground helped us eventually find a few goals, although our goal kicking was still a bit inaccurate”. Mitchell Berechree
Stony Creek fall to Hillsmen
Round 15, Willow Grove Rec Reserve
Hill End 6.7. (43) to Stony Creek 3.9 (27)
After trailing at the first break, Hill End slotted six goals to two across the next three terms to chalk up an important win over Stony Creek. After only one goal and one behind were kicked in the first quarter, it would have been to the amazement of all that Seth Calway managed to open proceedings for the home side after just a dozen or so seconds were played in the second stanza.
It did take twenty minutes for the next goal to be kicked, this time by Bayley Paul, but when this was followed up minutes later by Ambu Uliando’s finish just before half time, the home side had wrested back not only the lead but the momentum going into the major change.
In a replica of the second term, the Hillmen slotted a goal inside a minute to open the third and even though there was close to an hour of footy to play, the game was as good as done.
Stony Creek did manage two of the last three goals for the game, including the only goal of the last term, but to the victors go the spoils and for this week at least those spoils include sixth spot on the ladder.
Hill End was best served by ruckman Tom Johnstone, Zac Mills and Darcy Paul. For Stony Creek, Captain Jai Bright, Will Brown and Luke Firth managed a goal each. Brown was joined in the best by Julian Stone and Tully Bernaldo.
Stony Creek coach Troy Shepherdson was blunt in his assessment post-game, declaring that “turnovers cost us the ultimate result” before adding that “very inaccurate kicking on our behalf kicked us out of a game, which I thought we controlled for a lot of the contest”.
Perhaps the best summary came, when winning coach Hallinan labelled the result a “pleasing but frustrating win”. Mitchell Berechree
Hawks mob Pies
Round 15, Morwell East Rec Reserve
Morwell East 12.14 (86) to Toora 7.5 (47)
After a cracking three quarter contest that saw nothing separate the sides at the last change, Morwell East put their undies on the outside and threw on a cape in the last term to run away winners 12-14-86 to Toora’s 7-5-47.
The last term saw East kick a behind and a goal in the opening two minutes before Toora got back within a straight kick at the five-minute mark. From then on, it was all one-way traffic. The Hawks piled on five unanswered goals in ten minutes of footy that saw the celebrations for just their second win of the year start well before the final siren.
Frank Marks and Lachlan Tactor led the way for the Hawks with Clymo, Gallante, Iorangi and Quinn all kicking two each. For Toora Chris Baker continued his outstanding form with another best on where he was joined by Tex Dyson. The youngster with the elite hands kicked three of his sides seven but sadly it was not enough for the travelling Pies.
If the ladder is a decent predictor of likely coming results the win should see East avoid the spoon. The same cannot be said for Toora however, who will have to beat one of Foster or Tarwin in their last two games to avoid it. Mitchell Berechree
