Football
2 May, 2026
Lakers eye victory for historic reunion
Taylors Lake’s senior football side will look to commemorate their 2016 reserves premiership side with a win when they take on Pimpinio in round four of the Horsham District Football Netball League.
Members of the 2016 side will attend the game at Dock Lake Recreation Reserve, where a function will be held at halftime during the seniors' game.
Hoping to make it a special occasion, the Lakers are eyeing a Tigers side who have had a mixed start to the season.
Despite being defeated by Kalkee in round three, Lakers coach Lee Marshall said Pimpinio are a fast and formidable team.
“Pimpinio have been a finals side for the last few years,” he said.
“They're young and fast, so if you give them an opportunity, they're going to take it.
“Even in their loss to Kalkee, they looked very exciting and dangerous in the first half.
“They play at a fast pace, overlap well with a running style of football, which, if they can sustain through a full game, would give any team in this competition trouble.”
With time to reflect on his side’s round two 126-91 loss to Kalkee with the round three bye, the Lakers coach admits he had mixed reactions from the clash.
“We had our fair share of the football, and we did have a lot of inside 50s,” Marshall said.
“In saying that, we didn't quite capitalise on the chances we had and probably turned the ball over on the wrong parts of the ground, which obviously hurt us with a team like Kalkee, who has Tanner Smith up forward.”
Marshall identified playing at an appropriate pace as a critical factor for the team moving forward.
“Coming out of the first two games, we are trying to work on a few things around tempo footy and not trying to play at a pace that's not sustainable for us,” he said.
“We can be a fast football side, but it’s also about getting the belief in the group that we can be fast just by being clean with the football and not having to try and play at a pace that's not sustainable for four quarters.”
Asked about the return of Matt Healy to Pimpinio’s lineup, Marshall is confident the team is prepared for wherever he is put on the field.
“Heals has been in the league for a long time, and he brings that big, physical presence wherever he plays,” he said.
“We’ll come into the game with plans for wherever he starts.”