Sean Robinson evades a Nathalia opponent.
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Les_Garbutt
Mulwala 5.3, 11.6, 15.9, 19.10.124
Nathalia 4.1, 5.1, 8.4, 12.6.78
Major goalkickers: Max Hemphill 3, Sean Robinson 3, Jack Sutherland 3, William Gorman 2, Jackson Meade 2, Brodie Tyson 2.
Best: Connor Griffiths, Josh Tonna, Kade Rowe, Jackson Meade, Matthew Gorman, Beau Seymour.
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Mulwala flexed its muscle for the first time this season in a runaway victory against fellow top four side Nathalia.
In a classic eight-point game where both sides were equal on the ladder, Mulwala powered away to a convincing seven-goal victory.
Both teams were eager to prove their worth in a fantastic contest in the first quarter, where neither team was backing down. Some classic hard contests and great ball movement was fantastic to watch for the supporters and the sides went goal for goal – and the inaccuracies of previous weeks had disappeared from the Mulwala team as they took a slender lead into quarter-time.
Nathalia kicked the first goal of the second but it was all Mulwala after that as the midfield of Connor Griffiths, Matt Gorman and Max Hemphill gained control while forwards Jack Sutherland and Sean Robinson took advantage of the great ball movement into the forward line.
Jack Meade gets clear on the lead to mark.
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Les_Garbutt
Nathalia had no answers to the hard running of the Mulwala mids, and Max floated forward to kick a couple of goals himself for the quarter.
The Nathalia fightback in the second half was countered by Mulwala as the forward group were assisted by resting ruckman Brodie Tyson - who caused problems deep forward for Nathalia. Furthermore, the smaller forwards in Will Gorman, Charley McKenna and Tommy Dow were constantly causing the Nathalia defenders issues.
A great team effort in a must-win match that will give the coaches great confidence moving into the second half of the season.
A Matt Gorman handball unleashes Connor Griffiths.
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Les_Garbutt
The Reserves had been going about their business for the last few weeks slightly undermanned with injuries, and Saturday was another example of this. The young stars in Mitch Appleby, Jaxen Wheeler and Riley Mitchell have all been growing in confidence each week and once again proved that they are more than capable of holding their own in the midday game.
Nathalia were determined to cause an upset and were within reach of victory all game but the midfield of Mulwala led by Josh Ednie and Matt McLachlan continued to win the footy while the defensive work of Cam Carling and Seb Hargreaves were keeping the Nathalia forwards nullified.
A fantastic victory for Coach Orr with several young Thirds players coming in to help with numbers, proving what great depth the club has through the younger generation of footballers.
Under 17s
Mulwala 3.5, 5.9, 9.13, 16.16.112
Nathalia 0.0, 0.0, 0.5, 0.6.6
Goalkickers: Ryan Cameron 5, Baxter Donovan 3, Van Kreeck 3, Jai Sneddon 3, Sonny O'Bryan, Levi Saunders.
Best: Levi Saunders, Jordan Ibbott, Ryan Cameron, Van Kreeck, Beau Sissons, Baxter Donovan
The Thirds retained their position at the top of the ladder with an impressive performance against a determined Nathalia team.
Mulwala controlled the play from the start and if not for inaccuracy in front of the goal could have put the queue in the rack at quarter-time.
Jordan Ibbott was unstoppable in the air across the halfback line and anything that hit the ground was quickly picked up by Beau Sissons, Charlie Drake and Archie Purtle and sent forward with interest.
Levi Saunders was brilliant controlling the midfield all day and Ryan Cameron enjoyed being in the forward line again due to an early injury to Max, finishing with five goals.
Van Kreeck was electrifying around goals and it was another all-round team performance by the group.
Under 14s
Mulwala 4.4 4.9 10.13 14.15.99
Nathalia 1.0, 1.0, 1.0, 1.1.7
Major goalkickers: Nate Leith 2, Axel Saunders 2, Jamar Zanker 2.
Best: Axel Saunders, Nate Leith, Jackson Smith, Wally Hammon, Logan Cooper, Jamar Zanker
Back-to-back home games had the young Lions pumped up as the weather is starting to turn cold for the early games, seeing several of the boys donning the long sleeves. The cooler start didn’t deter the Leith boys as Ryder and Nate both got early goals on the board, the midfield winning most of the contests and forcing the ball forward into their zone.
A great first quarter was soured by inaccuracy in the second term as Mulwala kicked five behinds and no goals leading to a classic spray from Coach Dono at half-time.
The chat kicked the boys into gear as Axel Saunders, Logan Cooper and Jackson Smith stepped up the pressure on the Nathalia team and moved the ball into Mul’s forward 50 quickly, allowing forwards Jamar Zanker and Wally Hammon to take advantage - kicking two goals each for the quarter.
A beautiful passage of play from Nate Leith finding his brother Ryder open in the goal square kickstarted the last quarter as the team kicked away to another comfortable win.
Netball
Tess McNamara passes in her milestone 200th club game. But it was a heartbreaker for A Grade.
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Les_Garbutt
A Grade
Mulwala 37 lost to Nathalia 38
A well contested game - we knew that we would have to bring our best to capitalise. It was a close game throughout the four quarters - unfortunately a few things not going our way.
Defenders played a stellar game, winning many turnovers, but our lack of conversion was a tough one.
Ellie and Jedda combined well all day and Hollie stood up when needed - playing a real confidence game. Disappointing to go down by one but so many things to take from it.
The girls are building and we look forward to the back half of the season and being able to seal some wins.
Awards: Squires - Hollie McNamara; Club award - Jedda Nolen; Miss Dolly - Ellie Dickins.
C Grade
Mulwala 42 defeated Nathalia 35
A challenging game for the girls with the team implementing new game moves from training.
With persistent pressure being applied all over the court, Mulwala took an early lead and held the lead each quarter.
Awards: Club Award - Keely House; Miss Dolly - Piper Poll.
C Reserve
Mulwala 39 lost to Nathalia 41
Tough game this week with Nathalia and Mulwala sitting pretty tight on the ladder. With a big task at hand, the girls fought right to the final siren.
With our gun player Addye going down in the first half, the girls pulled a lot out of the tank. Being down by 11, they knew they had a fight on their hands.
Charlie Hargreaves dominated both ends, displaying versatility in goals and defence. Charlie Davis was fast in the midcourt, dominating her tasks and position also.
Great effort by all with exciting things come!
Awards: Squires - Kat Jameison; Club Award - Charlie Hargreaves; Seeliger - Charlie Davis.
Under 17s
Mulwala 44 lost to Nathalia 52
The U17s put up a strong fight in their netball game against Nathalia but unfortunately fell short. The game was intense from start to finish, with the girls showcasing great skills and teamwork.
Despite the loss, the U17s displayed determination and sportsmanship throughout the game. They showed resilience and a never-give-up attitude. The girls should be proud of their efforts.
Another good win on Saturday, the girls putting into practice what they have been working on at training, which was reflected in the end score. Well done, all!
