WANDELLA have claimed a thrilling three-point victory over Macorna, tightening the Bombers’ hold on third spot as they move a game clear of the Tigers.
In a back-and-forth affair, Macorna were on top for much of the game, but Wandella’s tenacity was too much late, kicking three fourth-quarter goals to one to pinch the win.
Wandella coach Justin Robinson said his side “were trailing for the whole game, and then kind of snatched it at the end”.
“It was a great win – I don’t think we really held the lead at all until the last five minutes of the game,” he said.
“We thought we had them early in the first term, but our inaccuracy had us trailing after the first quarter.
“The team felt as though our goalkicking was letting us down a little bit, having kicked 2.5 to quarter-time with us missing some very gettable shots.
“In the end we were able to just get enough on the board for the win, it was a bit of a scramble for those last five minutes.
“There were a lot of acts of desperation late on from both sides, but it was such a valuable win to get.”
Logan Keighran put in an immense performance starting from centre half-forward, kicking three goals and being described as “absolutely pivotal to the win” by Robinson.
The two players flanking Keighran were also impressive, with Darren Rushton and Laing Waddingham pitching in with two goals each from the half-forward line.
Wandella’s run from either wing added an extra threat for Macorna to deal with, Jack Radcliffe and Archer Lancaster both driving the Bombers forward.
Jarryd Schlitz and Adam McKenzie both put in strong performances, with Schlitz marshalling the Bombers’ back line well.
Travis Mercadante and Lachlan Ritchie were two standouts for the Tigers, the two big men stamping their authority throughout the game.
Macorna’s back line were also impressive, with Christian McCarthy and Fergus the pick of the back six, while Reegan O’Rourke and Koby Gibson also impressed.
Robinson said the win had big implications for Wandella’s finals aspirations, as they avenged their round 1 loss to the Tigers.
“It’s wins like this that fill the boys with a lot of confidence,” he said.
“You can play a couple of good quarters against the likes of Hay and Ultima, but still come away with pretty heavy losses there.
“You need to get these wins on the board, because they’re what really builds the confidence.
“Getting wins like this against the teams who are pretty level with us, like Macorna, are very important.
“We’re trying hard to break away from the bottom end of the ladder, and make sure we can secure our spot in the finals.”
League leaders Hay continue to be a frightening prospect for opposition teams, as they piled on the goals away at Murrabit to win by 137 points.
William Collis and Declan Watson were at their best in front of goal, Collis kicking a bag of seven goals from the midfield while Watson added six more.
But the goals didn’t stop with there, as Angus Gardiner kicked three, and skipper Kenneth Jubb and Jacob Watson each added two.
Jacob Watson and Jack Cattanach were both pivotal to getting Hay into attack as their side took a staggering 38 scoring shots.
Sam and Tom Copland were two of the better performers for the Blues at either end of the ground, while Ashton Wood put in a solid performance in defence.
Nathan O’Toole and Austin McKerrow were tireless in their efforts, while Archer McKnight was strong on the wing.
Moulamein hung with Ultima for close to three quarters in their 53-point loss, but the Roos were too good in the final quarter to run away with the win.
Trailing by just 13 points at the major break, Ultima kicked into gear in the second half, kicking nine goals to three in the latter half.
Hunter Hartland starred for the Swans, kicking four goals from full forward while ruck-and-rover pairing Heath Moloney and Rodney Reeves were two more of their best.
Darcy Farrell was impressive for Ultima, kicking three goals, as did Ryan Devereux, Darcy Farrell and Lincoln Frost, with skipper Jake Foster kicking two.
