Sport
2 May, 2023
Ladder leader tops struggling Eagles
WIMMERA Football League ladder leader Ararat has produced a dominant display to down Warrack Eagles in round three on Saturday. On their home ground at Alexandra Oval, the Rats continued on their unbeaten way with a resounding 73-point victory in...
WIMMERA Football League ladder leader Ararat has produced a dominant display to down Warrack Eagles in round three on Saturday.
On their home ground at Alexandra Oval, the Rats continued on their unbeaten way with a resounding 73-point victory in fine conditions for football.
The Rats continue to lead the premiership table as one of three undefeated teams along with Horsham Saints and Dimboola who both claimed victories on the weekend.
Round three saw Dimboola turn a five-point half time deficit into high scoring 14-point victory, while the Saints made three wins from three starts and inflicted Stawell’s fourth loss of the season with a controlling 35-point victory at Central Park.
The match of the round at Murtoa saw Southern Mallee Giants return from a bye to claim a powerful 34-point victory over reigning premier Minyip-Murtoa to make their mark on the 2023 competition.
In sunny conditions at Alexandra Oval, Ararat controlled the match from the opening minutes kicking the first four goals of the opening stanza before adding a further two at the start of the second term to have the game on their own terms.
A two-prong combination in their forward half provided the catalyst for its early domination as the Eagles worked hard to match their more potent opponent but were again struck down by poor skill errors to limit their scoring chances.
But the Rats had no problems early with Jack Ganley kicking the opening goal before Tom Mills and Corey Taylor combined for three goals as the Rats took a 27-point lead into quarter time, not allowing the Eagles to score.
When Taylor and Mills added two more majors to the scoreline at the start of the second term, things looked pretty ominous for the Eagles who struggled to find any rhythm when moving the ball into attack which created more turnovers through sideways movement around the ground.
It took an attacking play from Daniel Penny to spark a minor comeback as he and Declan Powell kicked the next three goals to have their team on the board and looking a little more dangerous to close the deficit to three goals.
Penny’s attack on the ball was vital to his team-mates and when Powell ran hard to finish two pieces of play, the Eagles looked a better side with a more positive approach to the match.
The Eagles suffered a setback on the sound of the half time siren as Ararat midfielder Ben Taylor marked seconds before the break to convert his team’s seventh major and a 32-point lead at half time.
With the Rats in control, the third term produced little highlights as the Eagles again went back into a shell as the Rats made some skill errors of their own in a low scoring term that saw three goals kicked with Tom Williamson and Ganley goaling for the Rats, while Jake O’Donnell was rewarded for some strong work through the midfield to goal for the Eagles.
But that would be the last of scoring for the Eagles for a while as Ararat took back complete control of the match in the final term when they kicked the first five goals as Taylor and Mills again combined to trouble the Eagles defence with Taylor adding a third and Mills kicking two to give his five for the match.
The Eagles did manage to convert a major when hard working midfielder Tom James sparked a strong passage of play from the centre of the ground which saw Phil Huebner mark in the goal square and convert on the run for his team’s fifth for the day.
But it was the Rats who completed their carnage of the final term kicking six for the quarter as Rob Armstrong and Jacob Bates joined the goal kicking party to share their team’s last three goals.
Ararat had plenty of winners through the lines with a miserly defence setting up scoring opportunities which strangled the Eagles forward line.
Eagles coach Daniel Bell said the match was a disappointing result and again lamented turnovers which continue to hurt his team.
“We really struggled with some disposal again and credit to Ararat, they worked the ball well, but we need to continue to improve and this week’s match against Nhill is a must for us to try and put our first win on the board,” he said.
“We have a bye the following week and it would be great to head into that break with a win under our belts before match ups with Horsham and Stawell.”
James was a clear best for the Eagles and with O’Donnell and ruckman Matt Johns worked hard through the centre, while Nick Ingram produced his best game for the Eagles with a strong running game on a wing.
In defence, the Eagles were under fire and were well served by Riley Morrow and Aaron Watts who teamed well to clear the ball but were overwhelmed by the continued presence of the Ararat scoring set up.
The Eagles welcomed new recruit Patrick Morgan for his first game in maroon and gold, showing glimpses of things to come with more games under his belt.
The match at Murtoa saw new Giants coach Kieran Delahunty come up against his former club for the first time and came away with bragging rights after the Giants controlled the game to claim victory.
The Giants led at every change and with a five goal to three second term opened up a 22-point lead at half time before building on its work to the final siren with Sam Weddell producing a big game and Josh Webster kicking five goals for the match.
At the Dimboola Recreation Reserve, Roos coach Jack Landt inspired a 14-point victory with a four-goal performance that saw his team trail at half time before finishing over the top in a high scoring affair against Horsham.
Horsham controlled the opening of the match with five goals to two in the first quarter before the Roos kicked four goals to two in the second term to cut the margin to five points.
With 12 goals to nine in the second half, the Roos came out victorious to keep their unbeaten run intact.
In the final game of the round, Horsham Saints enjoyed a strong start to the match and extended its advantage with each quarter to run out comfortable victors by 35 points.
Jarrod Garth added another four goals to his tally as the Saints held the Warriors to just five goals in another strong defensive display.