Sport
31 July, 2023
Giants overrun by undefeated Rats
The Southern Mallee Giants surprised most in the Wimmera Football Netball League by holding a slim four-point lead at the major break against the undefeated Ararat Rats in Alexandra Park on Saturday. Ultimately the class of the Rats prevailed as...
The Southern Mallee Giants surprised most in the Wimmera Football Netball League by holding a slim four-point lead at the major break against the undefeated Ararat Rats in Alexandra Park on Saturday.
Ultimately the class of the Rats prevailed as they ran away 63-point victors in the second half, a foreboding sign of the finals series to come for fellow contenders.
It was tough going for both teams in the first term, with scoring opportunities hard to come by. Every part of the large Ararat oval featured play, although both teams did their utmost to avoid an especially boggy centre, the men in green also utilising alternating centre bounce locations for the entirety of the match.
The Giants had their best quarter of the day in the second, a slight wind advantage helping them to move the footy into their forward line and giving the Giants faithful the tiniest bit of hope that they may be able to achieve the impossible, defeating the barnstorming Ararat on their home turf for the first time in 2023. It simply wasn’t to be though.
Ararat exited their change rooms after the major break determined, and seemingly with fresher legs than their visitors. A four point deficit was turned into a 28 point lead within the 25 odd minutes of playing time, the Giants at a loss of how to account for a plethora of classy Ararat players. Ex Carlton player Tom Williamson proved to be an absolute handful for a Giants side still sorely feeling the absence of a few key players, going on to boot four majors for the match alongside Tom Mills who kicked his second bag of five goals for the year.
Jackson Fisher was a standout for the Giants through the middle and across half forward, booting two goals and being named eventual best on ground, while fellow Queenslander Liam Nelson continues to feature in the best players list on most outings, dogged in his pursuit of the footy and always classy with his disposal.
The Giants will look forward to welcoming a handful of players back in the coming weeks, with a relatively ‘easy’ run into finals as they meet the three bottom placed sides in succession, Nhill, Warrack and Horsham Demons. Ararat, meanwhile, will meet the balance of the current top five placesitters in the Horsham Saints, Minyip Murtoa and Ararat, making for an interesting final three rounds of WFNL football.
Final score, Ararat - 15.9 (99) def. Giants - 5.6 (36)
Best, Ararat - Ben Taylor, Haydn Cosgriff, Matthew Spalding, Tex Korewha, Tom Williamson, Tom Mills.
Giants - Jackson Fisher, Liam Nelson, Tyler Lehmann, Angus McSweyn, Coleman Schache, Daniel Garner.
It’s safe to say that the Giants Reserves, both players and coaches, are counting down the sleeps until the end of the home and away season, as they continue to battle a lack of player availability, making it almost impossible to get a team on the park, let alone to remain competitive with teams based in much bigger population centres such as Ararat.
This week the Giants welcomed Matt Ward into the fold, alongside a handful of Ararat blokes offered up by the day’s hosts, but the ladder leaders were simply too good for the entirety of the day’s play, not letting up on the Beulah-Hopetoun combine that are currently holding up the bottom of the ladder.
Cooper Morris continues to be a reliable performer for the Giants across the backline, and was an obvious choice for best on ground, especially given how much of the footy he saw for the day. Hudson McCredden did his best to propel the footy forward, but there was little that could be done against the flag fancies.
Final score, Ararat - 28.11 (179) def. Giants - 0.0 (0)
Best, Ararat - Brady Weppner, Zach Louder, Alex Van Opstal, Riley Pevitt, Harley Healy, Isaac Carra.
Giants - Cooper Morris, Hudson McCredden, Mick Saunders, Bailey Frankel, Tristan Glare, Cody Frankel.
Those who made it to Ararat bright and early after a long trip from the Mallee were rewarded with plenty of good footy from the Under 14s. Meeting a team with a population centre of well over 10,000, the youngest Giants represented their community brilliantly from the outset, managing to keep the Rats to a solitary point in the first term. The Rats utilised the breeze in the second term to pile on five unanswered goals, however the Giants were soon afforded the same opportunity, sending the footy through the big sticks three times in the third term to win the quarter over their southernmost rivals. A relatively even final term saw the Rats take home the four points, and earn fifth place on the ladder, leaving the Giants sitting just outside finals contention with a tough run home.
Jackson Moore continues to grow his footy brain and was named best on by the coaches, with Oliver Credlin and Jakob Southern rounding out the top three. Parker Hallam returned to the goal kickers list with a handy two, with Koby Hallam and Oliver Wood chiming in with one each.
Final score, Ararat - 10.5 (65) def. Ararat - 4.1 (25)
Best, Ararat - Will Chamings, Nate Dadswell, Arlo Hastings, Billy Jenkins, Jye Buncle, Baden Hewitt.
Giants - Jackson Moore, Oliver Credlin, Jakob Southern, Leith Horman, Finn Shannon, Spencer Williams.