South Morang produced another dominant display to record their eighth straight MC Labour Division 2 triumph, leading from start to finish to defeat St Mary’s by 36 points at Whatmough Park.
Strong first and third quarters propelled the Lions to their 12.8 (80) to 6.8 (44) victory, as they capitalised on their momentum during the afternoon.
Victorious coach Gary Hall credited his sides fast start, believing early goals played a crucial role in their 13th win of the season.
“If we got off to a good start and get a few goals, we thought that would hold us in good stead; and we’ve been pretty good with our defence all year,” he said.
Captain Tye Hall led the way for the victorious Lions, slotting three majors and displaying the best skills of any player in the tricky conditions, continuing his outstanding 2024 campaign in the process.
Kyle Wheatley too played an important role in his sides triumph after returning to the senior side for the first time since Round 7, managing three goals himself.
Ben and Jake Halewood were standouts for a St Mary’s team that couldn’t get going throughout the match. Ben would be the only multiple goalkicker for the hosts with two majors.
The Burra have now won just one of their previous seven matches yet still remain in fourth position, although they are only eight points off sixth place with three games remaining.
The Lions had all the answers early, dominating territory and finding several good looks at goal.
Koby Davies registered the first major of the day, after marking strongly just metres from goal to give his side a dream start to the contest.
Kyle Wheatley then nearly made it two goals in as many minutes for his team when he was the beneficiary of a centimetre perfect delivery from Kobe van Zwienen inside 50. His shot at goal would only be a minor score, however he would make no mistake with his next shot at goal later in the quarter.
Van Zwienen himself would kick the other goal of the term when snapping truly from close range, as the Lions made the most of their chances to keep St Mary’s to four behinds, taking an 18-point advantage into the first change.
The hosts would have an improved second quarter, getting the game on their terms in stages.
Josh Corelli had the chance to get things going for his side but was denied a goal thanks to finger-tip from South Morang defender Michael Burns on the goal-line.
Despite improving their performance, the Burra struggled to put their efforts on the scoreboard unlike their opponents in the opening term.
It allowed Max Hayes to draw first blood in the second term at the 16-minute mark, sidestepping his opponent before the conditions allowed for a kind bounce to see the ball roll through.
Fabian Carelli’s men were soon given another opportunity to find the big sticks after Rory Hanlon won a 50-metre penalty, which the midfielder converted truly to finally get the home side on the board at the 18-minute mark of the second quarter.
Scoring dried up to end the first half, with both defences resolute on not allowing any more majors.
With a 17-point deficit to chase at the beginning of the third term, it was St Mary’s who found themselves with the perfect start, striking in the opening minute after Lachlan Read pounced and intercepted a short kick before driving it low to co-captain Nicholas Dean, who made no mistake with his set shot from 50 metres out.
But that would be all the scoring that the home side could muster for the remainder of the quarter, as when the Burra challenged, Tye Hall stood tallest for South Morang.
He was terrific during the third term, setting up several goals and even finding the big sticks himself on multiple occasions throughout the quarter. Hall was involved in all four unanswered majors that the Lions piled on, turning the 17-point half time lead into a healthy 36-point advantage at three-quarter-time.
With the Burra still hanging onto hope of a miraculous come from behind victory, it was crucial that they found an early goal to begin the final term.
But unfortunately for Fabian Carelli and his men, it was Jesse Christidis’ who pushed the lead out to beyond 40 points, after his snap at goal from distance rolled through to give the travelling fans plenty to cheer about.
Despite only managing two majors in the first three quarters, the Burra found the big sticks on four occasions in the final term. They kicked three consecutive majors and did reduce the deficit to just 24 points just over halfway through the final term.
However, any chance of a remarkable comeback was quickly squashed when South Morang’s Lachlan Potter slotted the sealer from point blank range, signaling his side’s eighth straight win in 2024.
