It was a tough day at the office as Rovers travelled to Strathmerton to tackle one of the league leaders on a wet and soggy ground.
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Strathmerton quickly showed why they are one of the flag favourites when they blitzed the young Rovers side with an opening 10 goal quarter.
Their physical maturity, strength and ability to spread was in contrast to a lighter, younger side.
It meant that Strathy were able to create many opportunities which they didn’t miss out on.
The only bright spot for Rovers was the two goals kicked in the first quarter by Hayden Barker, who led and marked well and kicked accurately.
Strathy had established a match winning lead of 54 points by quarter time.
The second quarter was more even as Rovers tried to apply pressure to restrict their opponents.
They were able to keep Strathy to three goals to one for the quarter with the goal coming through the agency of Barker.
The third quarter was a continuation with Strathy kicking a further five goals and keeping Rovers to two points for the quarter.
Once again Strathy’s experience was a major difference and they always seemed to have a team mate to dish off a disposal to, which made their ball use much better than Rovers.
Rovers were able to kick two goals in the last quarter through Hayden Barker, and a nice centering pass which set up Joe Hay for a goal.
But the final result was a 128 point win to the bulldogs.
Coach Alex Hay, whilst disappointed with the result, was pleased that at least his side didn’t give up at any stage.
Even with the scoreboard heavily against them, they still tried all day but were simply outclassed by a better side.
They had much more experience and strength and demonstrated that they will be strong contenders come finals time.
Better players were Joe Hay, who has been in great form over recent weeks.
The ever reliable James Gilligan, Brady Trotman who has been a great pick up this year.
Ray Murphy who won plenty of the ball, Hayden Barker kicked four goals from limited opportunities and Logan Leiper who continues to show plenty of promise.
Final Score: Strathmerton 24.17 (161) Rovers 5.3 (33).
Goals: Hayden Barker 4, Joe Hay.
Best: Joe Hay, James Gilligan, Brady Trotman, Ray Murphy, Hayden Barker, Logan Leiper.
Awards: Physiofit with Britt - James Gilligan; Cin’s Massage - Joey Hay; Globe Hotel - Brady Trotman; Barber & Threadz - Ray Murphy; Keet’s Hair - Hayden Barker.
The Rovers reserves also had a tough day when they came up against reigning premiers in Strathmerton, who had the same number of wins.
The first half was pretty even as both sides struggled in wet and boggy conditions with Strathy leading by seven points at half-time.
They were able to extend the lead to 15 points at the final break but the floodgates opened in the last quarter and Strathy kicked seven goals to record a comfortable win.
Numbers have been good all season but Saturday saw quite a few missing which certainly weakened the side – hopefully everyone will be back on board next weekend.
Better players were Dylan Mills at full back who defended well all day, John Glowrey who thrived in the heavy conditions, John Allitt, Brett Rose, Zack Thompson and Bailey Caruso.
Final score: Strathmerton 11.7 (73) def Rovers 2.1 (13).
Goals: Jackson Campbell, Bailey Caruso.
Best: Dylan Mills, John Glowrey, John Allitt, Brett Rose, Zack Thompson, Bailey Caruso.
Awards: Globe Hotel - Dylan Mills; Frank n Beans - John Allitt; N8 Health - John Glowrey; Myo on the Move - Brett Rose; Keet’s Hair - Zack Thompson; Barber & Threadz - Bailey Caruso; Deni Clothing Co. - Damian Hope.
The thirds boys started a bit flat on a Saturday against Strathmerton with a bit of sloppy football.
They eventually found their feet with Cooper King taking a strong mark up forward and making no mistake with his kick.
Dexter Hardman turned the opposition inside out and kicked an absolute cracker.
Connor Didcock and Cam Wills also found the goals with the slippery ball.
In the second quarter the boys were slow and Strathy took advantage of our mistakes.
With no talk and bad ball usage we were lucky to have the lead at half-time.
Coach Chris Maher gave the boys a rocket at half-time which they responded to by piling six goals for the quarter.
Coming into the last quarter Tyson Wills, Jessie Jervis and Logan Leiper were linking up well and again Connor Didcock’s run and carry was exceptional.
Harry Way showed his toughness with a best on ground performance and young Ethan Connolly was all class with his silky ball movement and second efforts.
It was really good to see with a poor first half the boys fought hard to get back to the brand of football they have been playing.
Final score: Deni Rovers 21.10 (136) def Strathmerton 5.1 (31).
Goals: Tyson Willis 9, Cam Wills 5, Cooper King 2, Dexter Hardman, Connor Didcock, Baxter Cowley, Harry McIlwain, Logan Leiper.
Best: Harry Way, Logan Leiper, Cam Wills, Cooper King, Jesse Jervis, Dexter Hardman.
Awards: Deni Driver Training - Harry Way; T McCully Construction - Logan Leiper; Glow Beauty - Cam Wills; Barber & Threadz - Connor Didcock; Fanmac Ag - Cooper King; Rovers Canteen - Jesse Jervis; Rovers Dinner - Dexter Hardman; Subway - Ethan Connolly.
The fourths started strong and Spencer Cowley led the way with three goals in the first term.
A combined midfield outfit of Nick Fanning, Bentley Hardman and Isaac Behsman cleared the congested square and pushed the ball forward.
The second quarter was a hard-fought battle between the two sides.
Jacob Sealheld was strong across the half-back line with assistance from Sam Conallin running the ball through the centre.
Spencer moved into the ruck for the third quarter and made a huge impact on the game, standing strong and tapping the ball to our advantage.
Bentley Hardman and Logan Elphick combined well in this term with Logan snagging two goals for the term.
The Roos kicked away in the final term.
Some younger players got a chance to take the field and had support from Jobe Unwin instructing them on where to be and what to do.
Final score: Deni Rovers 11.7 (73) def Strathmerton 1.7 (13).
Goals: Spencer Cowley 4, Logan Elphick 3, Isaac Behsman 2, Connor Wilson, Bentley Hardman.
Bests: Isaac Behsman, Bentley Hardman, Spencer Cowley, Nick Fanning, Jacob Seal, Sam Conallin.
Awards: Cruizin* Diner - Bentley Hardman; Fanmac Ag - Isaac Behsman and Spencer Cowley; Nourish Deniliquin - Sam Conallin; Rovers Canteen - Mikey Benger; McDonald’s - Jobe Unwin; Subway - Harley Benger; Wilson Family Award - Nick Fanning; Rovers Dinner - Jacob Seal.
In the fifths, good numbers on both sides saw a lot of congestion.
As the game progressed we were able to get the ball moving well with some quick handballs and good running.
Some great tackling and shepherding was also great to see from the boys.
Awards: That Pizza - Jye Benger; Fanmac Ag - Cormick Hardman; Rovers Dinner - Lennix Leetham; McDonald’s - Mannix Taylor, Mason Glenn, Cruz Leetham and Rhys King; Subway - Nixon Sartore; BLT Fabrication - Harrison Leetham; CWS - Braxton Leetham.