Finals round 2, 27 August 2022 Kalamunda V’s Hamersley/Carine at Ray Owen Oval
Once again, the weather conditions had a profound effect on the outcome of this battle between the C1 league leaders Kalamunda and Hamersley Carine.
Strong squally wet winds blowing from the south-west were favoring the Cougars who had this advantage in the first quarter of the game.
The opening attack was spearheaded by Blair Southcott who kicked a goal in the first few minutes to the delight of the Cougar faithful who were seeking shelter from the blizzard!
Their joy was premature as they were expecting their team to start a blitzkrieg and put the Hamersley ‘Hawks’ to the sword, however the Hawks rallied and their backs resorted to ‘trench warfare’ repelling the constant Cougar attacks. They then mounted their own counter attacks over ‘no man’s land’, where play became bogged down with the Cougars losing all strategic initiative!
The quarter time score with the Cougars leading by 15 points to the Hawks no score was not that encouraging in view of the wind, as they would be kicking against it in the second quarter. The manner in which the Cougars were playing also left a lot to be desired, compared to the commitment and skill of the Hawks side.
The second quarter became a battle of attrition, with the Cougars caught in no-mans-land and lacking the necessary armor to prevent the Hawks attacking with their big guns. Tate Robertson and Steve Martin for the Hawks broke through our lines and kicked goals to lead at half time by 5 points. This was despite the valiant efforts of our backline led by Jacob Jennings and Ethan Faulds.
Coach Trenberth when looking at his tactical disposition at half time would have realized that some of his troops were not performing to expected standards as they were were falling victim to encircling tactics by the Hawks, thereby spoiling any effort to utilize their game plan.
The problem of penetration in our forward line had again become apparent in the quarter, with lack of strategic intent forcing players to ‘bomb’ the ball into the forward area where Hamersley quickly cleared it.
Hopes were raised in the Cougar camp, that a good quarter with the wind would see the team break free from encirclement to run and carry their attack without the skill errors of the first half.
This was achieved to a certain extent as they went on to kick 4.3 for the quarter. However, some very loose defense in no-mans-land allowed the Hawks out of their trenches to counterattack and kick 4.6 for the quarter to trail by only 7 points, with the advantage of the wind in the last quarter.
In the last quarter it was evident that the Coaches words at three quarter time had exhorted some very tired Cougars to give everything to achieve victory. To their credit they rallied and began to attack kicking 4.4 for the quarter.
However, the Cougars ‘usual suspects’ who had been giving everything during this encounter were tiring and the Hawks with their height and overall strength kicked 5.12 in a bombardment that overran our defenses to win by 7 points!
Final scores: Kalamunda 4.4 – 28, Hamersley Carine 5.12 – 42
Best Players: the usual suspects
Goals: one each to Blair Southcott, Adam Brescacin, Kevin McGrath and Jackson Bowen.
Most noteworthy: Jacob Jennings, Ethan Faulds and Mitchell Price, under siege all game.
On a happier note, our two Colts sides won their finals, with the IDC division kicking 11.7 – 73 to Carlisle’s 4.4 – 28 at Ray Owen and the BJC division downing Wanneroo by 3 points, 4.8 – 32 to 4.5 – 29 at Wanneroo.
Marks of the Day: Ethen Faulds took many good marks to hold back Carine’s forward thrusts. Jackson’s 2nd Quarter mark and goal was a nice piece of football,
Play of the Day: Brett van Groningen, 2nd Quarter. The ball was kicked into a very open Carine half forward line. A Carine player started after the ball followed by Brett who started the contest some 2 meters behind. Brett activated both internal after burners and drew alongside, as the opponent bent to pick up the ball Brett served him a superb “hip without shoulder” and with both players at full speed, the bump sent the opponent off at a 30º tangent, past the ball and into outer space. Brett gathered the ball and returned it to our forward line. A superbly timed and executed bump, one of the finest, lightly applied, non-sacrificial bumps I have ever seen.
This page is dedicated to, Mining & Hydraulic Supplies, proud sponsors of the Kalamunda ‘Cougars’ Football Club.
11 Boulder Road, Malaga WA 6090 (08) 9249 2511 http://miningandhydraulics.com.au
