Sport
8 August, 2023
Giants perform in front of reunion crowd
The Southern Mallee Giants footballers certainly got the memo to play to the occasion in round 16 of WFNL, accounting for the Nhill Tigers in all grades of footy in front of a vocal Beulah Premiership Reunion crowd. Nhill pushed the Giants all the...
The Southern Mallee Giants footballers certainly got the memo to play to the occasion in round 16 of WFNL, accounting for the Nhill Tigers in all grades of footy in front of a vocal Beulah Premiership Reunion crowd.
Nhill pushed the Giants all the way in the Senior match, but ultimately the Giants held off the Tigers to the tune of 12 points.
The Tigers played a frantic brand of footy from the outset, turning their opponents inside out as they disposed of the footy as soon as they had received it. Their tackling pressure was equally as intense in the first term, the umpires kept busy with stoppage after stoppage as the visitors continued to lock the footy in. Nhill kicked true in the first term, registering their three majors prior to the twelve minute mark, the Giants then switching up a gear and finally getting their first proper entries into the forward fifty. Tyler Lehmann kicked truly in his 199th club game to get the first major on the board for the Giants late in the quarter, before a quick snap from Jackson Fisher got them back within a kick prior to quarter time.
The slight wind advantage to the township end worked in the Giants favour in the second, as they restricted the Tigers to a solitary major, while kicking three majors of their own. Kai Sheers put the Giants in front with his first of two goals for the game, kicking the second from a set shot only a short time later. The stoppage heavy play continued with either team managing to trouble the goal umpires too much, before a centering kick from Ben McGee out of the forward pocket found Brayden Carra twenty metres in front of goal, and a long way from his usual defensive position. A quick goal to Tiger Wallace Wheaton, a handy pickup from a stoppage, was Nhill’s only major for the quarter, the Giants holding a ten point lead at the main break.
Toby Fisher kicked truly from a set shot a couple of minutes into the third term to open the Giants account, but from there tempers began to flare. Some frustration with opponents, and also umpiring decisions, were becoming evident as the push and shove around the stoppages went up a notch. The inclusion of ruckman Jake Garvey back into the Giants side after a prolonged injury freed up Angus McSweyn to move forward, finding goal early in the third term. Nhill began to build momentum once again, finishing off the term outscoring the Giants four goals to three to set the stage for a contentious final quarter of footy.
While the opening minutes were full of plenty of spot fires across the ground, the umpires soon realised the best path forward was to toss the footy up and keep the game moving, and that they did. With the game basically up for grabs, both sides turned their attention back to winning the footy, and moving it on as quickly as possible, with Nhill’s tackling pressure worth noting for the entirety of the day’s play. The Tigers simply didn’t give up, however the Giants had a slight edge with their disposal, while also managing to lock the footy up on plenty of occasions themselves, to run out eventual twelve point winners.
In his 100th game, Jackson Fisher backed up last week’s BOG performance in Ararat, with another in Beulah, steadying the team on numerous occasions and being utterly reliable when the footy was in hand. Fellow traveller, Liam Nelson continues to impress with his attack of the footy, and deft touches that can turn a defensive play into attack on a dime. Billy Lloyd has been a consistent performer in 2023, the Giants will be looking to these three in particular to lead the Giants in the run into finals.
Frazer Driscoll was prominent for the improving Tigers outfit, while Nathan Alexander, Wallace Wheaton and Angus Wheaton were all reliable contributors.
Final score, Giants - 9.14 (68) def. Tigers - 8.8 (56)
Best, Giants - Jackson Fisher, Billy Lloyd, Oscar Smith, Zac Robins, Lou White, Tim McCormick
Tigers - Frzer Driscoll, Nathan Alexander, Wallace Wheaton, Angus Wheaton, Glen Saniong, Lucas Dahlenburg.
The Giants Reserves set themselves up for victory early in the day on Saturday, their consistent scoring ultimately seeing them over the line for just their second victory of the season. With the senior side welcoming back a few players, the Reserves reaped the rewards, the side continuing to look vastly different from week to week.
A prolific third term is what eventually won the match for the home side, with the first half a low scoring affair that saw the Giants with a four point deficit at the major break.
Dylan Marshman and Declan Brown hit the ground running, both players having spent a considerable amount of time in the seniors in recent weeks as the injury list continued to grow. Tim Sanford was also over his European jet lag just in time to pull on the boots for Saturday’s reserves match, and would have been looking to impress selectors in an effort to work himself into senior selection leading into the finals series.
The giants kicked three unanswered goals in the third term to take a fourteen point lead into the final term, where inaccurate kicking put the four points in jeopardy, Nhill going on to win the quarter, but not quite doing enough to win the match.
Coach Taylor Donnan kicked two for the Giants, while Damon Carra, Jaiden Cook and Marshman chipped in for one apiece in a morale boosting win.
Brett Jensz, Ben Pollock and James Philip were best for the Tigers.
Final score, Giants - 6.10 (46) def. Tigers - 5.4 (34)
Best, Giants - Dylan Marshman, Declan Brown, Timothy Sanford, Cody Frankel, Kaden Petschel, Hudson McCredden
Tigers - Brett Jensz, Ben Pollock, James Philip, Lachie Barber, Jordan Gurry, Will Honeyman
The Under 14s nearly let their final chances completely disappear against Nhill on Saturday, allowing the visitors to whittle away a sizable lead to come back within a kick when the final siren sounded.
Inaccurate kicking cost the Giants in front of goal, but their defensive pressure ensured that Nhill wasn’t offered the same scoring opportunity, the Giants managing to keep the four points, and keep themselves within mathematical contention of the 2023 finals series, albeit with a tough couple of weeks coming up.
Max Roberts kicked two goals for the Giants, Koby Hallam, Parker Hallam and Finn Shannon all contributing to the scoreboard also. Charlie Williams, Leith Horman and Oliver Wood were best on in a team that continues to impress those on the sidelines.
Andrew Klee, Lara Purchase and Ethan Donnell were best for the Tigers.
Final score, Giants - 5.8 (38) def. Tigers - 5.3 (33)
Best, Giants - Charlie Williams, Leith Horman, Oliver Wood, Jakob Southern, Colt Decker, Finn Shannon
Tigers - Andrew Klee, Lara Purchase, Ethan Donnell, Charlie Bell, Frazer Wheaton, Ah Nee Nwe