Sport
2 May, 2023
Roos power to victory
By Scott Stewart DIMBOOLA has claimed successive victories in Wimmera Football League after claiming a powerful victory over Warrack Eagles at Anzac Park on Saturday. The match, that commemorated 100 years of Anzac Park, was played in bright...
By Scott Stewart
DIMBOOLA has claimed successive victories in Wimmera Football League after claiming a powerful victory over Warrack Eagles at Anzac Park on Saturday.
The match, that commemorated 100 years of Anzac Park, was played in bright sunshine on a fitting day to celebrate the Park’s milestone.
An Anzac ceremony prior to the senior match outlined some history of the Park which included the first game being played between Warracknabeal and Dimboola.
The modern day Eagles then went to work in chase of their first win of the season but were faced with a slick moving Roos outfit that dominated the second half to claim an eventual 60-point victory.
The match highlighted a big weekend of action through round two which included a commanding 119-point victory to Ararat over Nhill and a hard fought 27-point victory to Minyip-Murtoa over Stawell.
On Sunday, the annual Anzac Day match between Horsham Saints and Horsham saw a strong win to the Saints who claimed successive wins to start the season with a 31-point victory at City Oval.
The match at Anzac Park was evenly matched through the first half where 13 points separated the teams at half time as the Roos opened scoring through a goal to Darcy Dubois and a running goal to recruit Aisea Raikiwasa.
A conversion to Jake O’Donnell after a free kick had the Eagles on the board as both sides worked hard to grab the upper hand through a frantic opening to the match.
Dimboola grabbed a break at quarter time when recruit Michael Graham marked and goaled after the siren to put his team in front by 11 points at quarter time.
The second term followed a similar path to the first quarter as Dimboola looked to break the game open but were met by a dogged Eagles outfit who stayed in contention through some hard working efforts around the ground.
Eagles ruckman Matt Johns had the better of aerial duels but it was the Roos who made the most of its chances from the centre and grabbed vital centre clearances to help set up scoring chances.
Through the work of Sam Godden and Ben Miller, the Roos were able to set up four goals but the Eagles were able to match scoring with four goals of their own which culminated in a goal after the half time siren to Max Inkster who made his debut in senior football.
Fifteen year old Inkster, was rewarded for a strong tackle and with a 50 metre penalty took him to the goal line to give him his first goal at senior level.
The goal topped a big term which included goals to Connor Inkster, Johns and Dane Stewart, who returned to the Eagles line-up for the day on permit, to help keep the match on even terms.
Looking to keep pace in the warm conditions, the Eagles searched for an opening goal but found the Roos up and running from the first bounce to move the ball forward to set up scoring chances.
The Roos dominated the term with six goals as Godden and Graham took control of the match and dominate scoring.
The pair combined for nine goals in the second half as the Roos piled on six goals in each of the third and fourth quarters, breaking the game open at three quarter time when they led by 38 points.
Warrack Eagles was limited to just two majors for the quarter as they struggled to keep pace as Ben Miller, Matt Rosier and Billy Hayes joined forces with Godden and Graham to dominate play.
The final term maintained the dominance of the Roos as the Eagles battled to the final siren with three goals but the Roos had hit their straps and controlled play with another six goals for the term.
Dimboola had multiple winners through the lines as Godden topped a best on ground display with five goals, while Graham produced a goal kicking display to finish with seven goals for the match.
At Davis Park in Nhill, Ararat made the long trek and came away with a powerful win and moved to the top of the ladder with a 119-point victory.
The Rats dominated from the outset with Tom Williamson and Jacob Bates kicking four goals each.
At Central Park in Stawell, the home team Warriors produced a strong performance against the more fancied Minyip-Murtoa with the Burras claiming a hard fought 27-point victory.
The Warriors closed to within 10 points at three quarter time before the Burras skipped away in the final term kicking 2.5 while holding the home team scoreless.
Tanner Smith, Lachie Johns and Corey Morgan produced big games to maintain the Burras advantage before pulling away in the final term.
The Anzac match at City Oval on Sunday saw the Saints skip away early and maintain its advantage over the home team Demons to run out 31-point victors.
The Saints extended a lead through the first three quarters before the Demons cut the margin slightly in the final term with Angus Martin and Pat Knott in good form for the Saints, while for the Demons young guns Brody Pope, Ben Janetzki and Hudson Hair were all prominent throughout the match.