Rovers juniors battle hard against Picola

Ben Hayes followed shortly after with another major, giving the visitors a strong start.

Although the ball spent most of the remainder of the quarter at Picola’s end, they were unable to convert.

The Rovers pushed it back forward late in the term, and after a strong tackle resulted in a ‘holding the ball’ free kick, Reagan made no mistake and kicked truly.

The Rovers’ defensive efforts were solid, keeping Picola to just one behind for the quarter.

The second quarter saw a shift in momentum, with a bit of argy-bargy resulting in a Picola player being awarded a shot from the goal square, which they converted.

They backed it up soon after with another goal. The breeze seemed to influence accuracy, as the rest of the quarter saw only behinds added to the score from both sides.

Early in the third, Brody Wills soared high to take a hanger and kicked his first goal of the game.

Picola responded with a goal of their own, but Callan Glenn answered back with a well-earned major.

It became a bit of a shootout, with both sides trading goals.

After a scrappy contest near goal, the ball rolled through the Rovers’ big sticks, and the alert goal umpire noticed it had come off Max Watson’s boot—goal awarded.

Picola kept up the pressure with another goal before Isaac Behsman added his name to the scoreboard with a great finish.

The final quarter saw both sides add one more goal to their totals - Stuart Benger the goalkicker for the Rovers - while Picola also kicked five behinds, underlining the continued pressure from the Rovers’ backline.

The Rovers had solid contributions across the ground, with multiple possessions from Callan Glenn, Nick Fanning, Jesse Jervis, Isaac Behsman, Xander Strong, Spencer Cowley, Jake Harvey, Ethan Connolly and Ben Hayes.

In defence, Tom Way, Jacob Holton and Fletcher Campion stood strong and repelled numerous Picola advances.

Special congratulations to Brody Wills, who not only had a great game in the thirds but also made his seniors debut later that day.

Final score: Picola United 5.10 (40) def by Deniliquin Rovers 7.6 (48).

Goals: Reagan Macdonald 2, Callan Glenn, Brody Wills, Ben Hayes, Stuart Benger, Max Watson.

Best players: Isaac Behsman, Fletcher Campion, Ethan Connolly, Ben Hayes, Reagan Macdonald, Jacob Holton.

Awards: Reagan Macdonald, Isaac Behsman, Ethan Connolly, Jesse Jervis, Xander Strong, Ben Hayes, Spencer Cowley, Fletcher Campion.

Fourths:

The Rovers faced a formidable challenge this week against Picola United, a team widely regarded as the top side in the competition.

From the first bounce, the boys found themselves under pressure, outplayed across most areas of the ground.

Fortunately for the Rovers, some inaccuracy in front of goal from Picola kept the scoreboard from blowing out even further.

Michael Benger was outstanding after shifting to defence, and was clearly the Rovers’ best on the day.

Lucas Braybon, Reece King, Sam Strong, Cormick Hardman and Callan Leiper also battled hard, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a bigger, stronger, and well-drilled Picola outfit.

Final score: Picola United 12.25 (97) def Deniliquin Rovers 0.0 (0).

Best players: Michael Benger, Cormick Hardman, Reece King, Callan Leiper, Sam Strong.

Awards: Mikey Benger, Sam Strong, Cormick Hardman, Xavier Collihole, Lennix Leetham, Reece King, Callan Leiper.

Fifths:

We hit the road for our first official away game of the season, taking on Picola with 29 eager little Rovers ready for a crack at the footy.

It was a tough contest, with Picola holding strong through the middle.

But the Rovers kept pushing and found some solid breakthroughs, thanks to Charlie Druitt and Paddy Howard launching attacks from the backline.

A special mention to Mac Leiper, who played his first game and didn’t shy away from the contest. He got stuck in and had a real go.

Awards: Charlie Druitt, Mac Leiper, Cruz Sartore, Tate Parlato, Arley Bulmer, Jye Benger, Paddy Howard.