Football
27 May, 2026
Cougars outrun Tigers
Kaniva Leeor United maintained their spot in the top three with a hard-fought win over Pimpinio in round seven of the HDFNL on Saturday May 23. Playing at Kaniva, the Cougars kicked 15.8 (98) to the Tigers’ 11.10 (76).
The visitors got the better of the forward 50 entries early in the opening quarter but struggled to effectively hit the scoreboard, with scores tied at 9-9 at the first break.
Led by the pace and goal kicking of Lachy Bates, the Cougars took control of the game in the second quarter, scoring six goals to Pimpinio’s two to lead 47-24 at half-time.
Two early-third-quarter goals pushed the home side’s lead to almost six goals before three straight majors got the Tigers right back into the contest.
The sides continued to trade goals late in the third term, with Kaniva Leeor up 73-56 at the final break.
Pimpinio maintained forward pressure for much of the final term, coming within two goals of the Cougars, but some crucial goals late in the game ensured the home side held on to go away with a 22-point win.
Cougars co-coach Jonno Hicks said he was stoked with his side’s second-quarter performance but added that Pimpinio challenged his side all game.
“We feel like we played our best footy and got on top in the second quarter and I was hoping that in the second half we could put the foot down and try to give ourselves a bit of a break,” Hicks said.
“But full credit to Pimpinio, they kept on coming back and they probably had opportunities in the last quarter to win it.
“They have an impressive spread of midfielders and a lot of different goalkickers and we were even lucky to go into quarter-time equal with them.
“When we weren’t tight enough across the ground, they really spotted-up those kicks and moved the ball well.”
Jacob Eats finished with three goals for the Cougars, with Blake Dodson, Patrick Munn, Charlie Maddern and Xavier Stimson also having impressive performances across the park.
For Pimpinio, Nick Groves and Patrick Price each kicked three goals, with Brock Hamerston, Hugh Daniel and Daniel Baker also impressing in the back half of the field.
The Cougars coach praised Lachy Bates – arguably the best on ground with a five-goal performance – for his work up forward.
“His pace is really important for us,” Hicks said.
“He’s had a variety of roles this year but spent more time up forward yesterday and managed to hit the scoreboard and set up a few as well, which was great.
“Lachy’s pace around the contest and the ball is brilliant.”