Football
22 July, 2024
Thunder storm away in the last to record a bounce-back win
A six-goal to-nil final quarter has seen the Thunder return to the winners list with a 45-point win over the Horsham Saints at Coughlin Park in round 13 of the Wimmera Football Netball League.
The match was tight early, with the Thunder taking a five-point lead into quarter-time. A goalless second quarter saw them extend the margin to six points at the main break.
The Saints outscored the Thunder in the third quarter to reduce the margin to three points. A blistering fourth quarter saw the Thunder run away to record an 11.15.81 to 5.6.36 win.
Kai Sheers led the goalkicking with three goals after moving up forward from defence for the Thunder, with Kieran Delahunty, Billy Lloyd, Coleman Schache, Jackson Fisher, and Xavier Oakley their best players.
Mitch Martin kicked two goals for the Saints, with Sam Clyne, Gage Wright, Nathan Koenig, Will Ticker, and Williams Slatter among their best.
Thunder coach Kieran Delahunty said it was a tough match.
"Horsham Saints at their home ground is never an easy challenge, and last time we went there, they touched us up, so we knew we had to play our best to get the win," Delahunty said.
"It was tough conditions with the wind and rain that came through, and thankfully, we were able to get the job done."
With leading goal-kicker Brad Lowe still out, Delahunty said they are finding a way to score.
"We have tried a few different things, the main one moving Kai Sheers from defence into attack as a small forward. He played a great game and added plenty of pressure and tackling," Delahunty said.
"Ben McGee came in for his first game of the year and was quite good up forward, and Angus McSweyn was another one that swung forward and provided a good target."
"We have filled the void, and players are getting their opportunities."
Demons bounce back with a comfortable win over the Roos.
At the Dimboola Recreation Reserve, the Demons bounced back in style to record an 81-point win over Dimboola.
A four-goal to one first quarter saw the Demons lead by 19 points at quarter-time. They extended that lead to 26 points at the main break before keeping the Roos goalless in the third quarter to lead by 39 points at the last break.
An eight-goal to-one final quarter saw them run out 16.12.108 to 3.9.27 winners.
Ryan Kemp was sensational for the Demons, kicking eight goals, with Jordan Motton chipping in with five. Jasper Gunn was best on the ground with a powerful display through the midfield, with Brody Pope, Jack Dalziel, Jeremy Kemp, and Hugo Papst among their best players.
Patrick Lindsay, Andrew Moore, Ben Miller, Jack Landt, Noah Campbell, and Ben Brett were the best for the Roos.
Demons coach Jordy Burke said he was pleased they were able to bounce back.
"It was tricky conditions with a lot of wind, and we needed to bounce back as we were disappointed to lose last week, and I am pleased with how we responded," Burke said.
"We are trying to play four-quarters, and while we are not there yet, we are getting close."
Burke spoke highly about Ryan Kemp and Jasper Gunn's games.
"With Kempy, we played him a bit closer to the goals this week, and in conjunction with Jordan Motton, it worked well as a two-pronged attack," Burke said.
"Jasper is having a great year, and the last four to six weeks have been great. He is clean with the ball at ground level, and his attack on the footy is great. You can see his confidence is building, which is nice.
"He works very hard, and his midfield work was good doing a lot of heavy grunt work, and his clearance work was fantastic."
Tigers celebrate 1960s premierships with a thriller over the Warriors.
A massive final quarter from Nhill saw them upset Stawell by 12 points at Davis Park in front of a huge crowd, celebrating their 1960s premierships.
The Tigers celebrated their 1964, 1965, and 1969 senior premiership sides and the 1964 reserves and 1969 under-16 flags.
They started well, kicking four goals to one to lead by 16 points at quarter-time. The Warriors used the wind in the second quarter to reduce the deficit to five points at half-time.
In a tough third quarter, when only one goal was scored, the Warriors reduced the margin to two points at three-quarter-time.
A two-goal to-nil final quarter saw the Tigers run out 6.1.44 to 4.8.32 winners.
Drew Schneider kicked two goals for the Tigers, with Jordan Zeitz, Daniel Batson, Xavier Bone, Deek Roberts, and Liam Albrecht among their best.
Cody Driscoll kicked two goals for the Warriors, with Josh Fowkes, James Sclanders, Sean Mantell, Jarrod Illig, and Aiden Graveson their best players.
Burras win second consecutive match.
Minyip Murtoa defeated the Warrack Eagles by 61 points at Murtoa Recreation Reserve. The match ended early following a collision, leaving Brylie Cameron unconscious for approximately ten minutes.
With only two minutes left in the match, it was decided to end it while they waited for an ambulance. Cameron was taken to the hospital, and fortunately, he was later released.
The Burras used the breeze well in the first quarter, kicking six goals to two to lead by 28 points at quarter-time.
The Eagles came hard in the second quarter, using the breeze to their advantage as they reduced the deficit to 24 points at half-time.
A seven-goal to-nil third quarter saw the Burras lead by 68 points at three-quarter-time before they ran out 16.11.107 to 7.4.46 winners.
Tanner Smith added another five goals, with Luke Fisher, Jye Walter, Timothy McIntyre, Timothy McKenzie, and Kade Petering among their best.
Kyle Cheney kicked four goals for the Eagles, with Tyson Hunt, Riley Morrow, Machok Garang, Matthew Penny, and Lachie Stewart among their best.
Unfortunately for the Burras, after having a near full-strength team the last two weeks, for the first time this season, they lost Oscar Gawith to a knee injury and Dusty Cross to a hamstring niggle.
Despite that, Burras coach Gareth Hose said they did well setting up the game at half-time.
"We set ourselves up as we had the breeze in that first quarter, and in that second quarter, if we didn't put that scoreboard pressure on, they would have been confident in the third and come home with a wet sail," Hose said.
"We took the game away from them in the third quarter and capitalised going forward, which was good to see."
Hose praised Smith for his work rate and spoke about when Cameron was knocked unconscious.
"Smith is in some excellent form; he works extremely hard, and his running capacity is unbelievable for a big guy," Hose said.
"He can stretch his opponent, run them around, and get back to the goals, which makes him a hard forward to match up on."
"When Brylie was knocked out, we were hoping for the best and was worried for his health and safety, so it was good to see him discharged from hospital later that night."