The Rovers’ September charge is well and truly alive, with both the reserves and thirds footballers winning their semi-finals in Berrigan to book their places in next weekend’s preliminary finals.
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The B-grade and under-13s netballers have also progressed, joining their A-grade, C-grade, under-17s, and under-15s club mates in the preliminary finals after surviving their semi-final clashes against Dookie United.
Results from the weekend are as follows:
Football
Reserves
The seconds travelled to Berrigan to take on the Strathmerton, having done plenty of work during the week and with a point to prove after the week prior.
It was a fast fought first quarter with both sides applying plenty of pressure, and it was the Rovers who came into the first break with a four point lead.
Rovers were able to penetrate the Strathy defence in the second quarter, and Dylan Mills and the backline gave their opponents nothing allowing only one point.
The momentum shifted early in the third quarter with Strathy looking dangerous, but Rovers withstood the attack and fired back going on in the last quarter to a convincing four goal win.
Harry Mcilwain was dominant again up forward, kicking four goals. Damian Hope had two, and Andrew Simpson and Jack Pekin kicked one each.
Dylan Mills was named best on at centre halfback together with fellow backman Nick Stubbings and James Gilligan.
Andrew Simpson, Harry Mcilwain and Brad Taylor were also among the best.
Final score: Rovers 8.7 (55) def Strathmerton 4.4 (28).
Thirds
Following the loss against Barooga, the Rovers thirds travelled to Berrigan to take on Strathmerton in the first semi-final.
Armed with a desire to continue the 2026 season, they jumped out of the gate.
One takeaway from last week was the tackling and defensive pressure inside the forward 50.
Ryan Squires set the tone in this area with two unrewarded tackles inside the forward half, and then the third tackle which resulted in a free kick in front of goal. All three were within about 45 seconds.
As the reward for consistent pressure, the free resulted in Ryan adding the first goal.
Not to be outdone, Dannon Leetham turned it on by busting a pack, applying two defensive tackles, a handball give and receive, and then slotted a goal.
With the defensive pressure on-song in the forward line, the next goal was as a result of gut running and a long-range shot from 50 to Isaac Behsman.
In the second quarter, the Rovers continued with more of the same.
The backline stood up thanks to Thomas Ives coordinating the troops behind the ball, and Reece King and Stuart Benger reading the play and refusing to be beaten.
Dannon slotted another gut run goal and Isaac added two more.
At the half-time break, the focus was on continuing to apply the pressure.
With six scoring shots to four, the boys could have definitely put the game beyond doubt.
But some wayward kicking resulting in two goals and four points had the game still up for grabs.
Going into the last, Rovers were determined in finishing strongly; and they did.
Ryan Squires had coach Wally Bulmer sweating, taking a long run along the boundary with four bounces. He delivered the ball inside the forward line, and the bench was able to relax again.
In the final term, Ryan, Liam Taylor, Haydn Sampson and Archer Moodie all added majors.
Final score: Rovers 12.6 (78) def Strathmerton 5.6 (36).
Goals: Dannon Leetham 4, Isaac Behsman 3, Ryan Squires 2, Liam Taylor, Haydn Sampson and Archer Moodie.
Best: Stuart Benger, Thomas Ives, Dannon Leetham, Callan Glenn, Charlie Rennie and Noah Dunn.
Netball
B-grade: Rovers 51 def Dookie 37
A four quarter team performance saw our B-grade girls bounce back from a loss last week to secure a spot in the prelim final.
From the first whistle, the girls brought high defensive pressure across the court, strong leads and plenty of communication, allowing us to take control of the game.
Dookie fought hard all game and chipped away at our lead in the third term.
We were able to stick to our structures, have confidence in each other and come away with the win.
Player’s player: Tlarnee Lake.
Under-13s: Rovers 23 def Dookie 17
In what was a thrilling contest, the under-13s Rovers held their nerve and stamina to defeat Dookie.
With a focus on strong leads and maintaining composure throughout the court, the girls did an exceptional job.
Finishing the first quarter with a 6-all score, the girls began to apply strong defensive pressure to turn the ball and convert into critical goals, with smooth transition from player to player.
Finishing the first half with a 12-7 lead, the warm weather was a challenge for both sides.
The girls did a marvellous job communicating and quickly recovering when on the bench to maximise their energy and intensity when on the court.
This intensity continued into the second half, the girls finishing the game with a six goal lead.