KALANGADOO has drawn first blood in the 2018 Mid South Eastern Football League, with a grand final win over Port MacDonnell in the pre-season cup on Saturday at Kongorong.
The final was made up of the top side from each pool, with both contenders showing their strength throughout the day.
Kalangadoo managed a 22-point victory over reigning regular-season premiers Mount Burr in the second game of the day, atoning for its preliminary final loss in the 2017 regular season, then made short work of Nangwarry in the afternoon, claiming the victory by 40 points.
Port MacDonnell was pushed early, but still managed a 10-point victory over Robe, before hitting their straps against Hatherleigh with a 25-point victory.
The short-format games – two 15-minute halves – did not allow for high scores, but both sides showed plenty of class during the final.
Kalangadoo was off to the better start, applying early scoreboard pressure with 2-4-16 in the first half, to Port MacDonnell’s 1-1-7.
While the Demons added a further 2-2 in the second half, the Magpies topped that with a further 3-1 to claim the win by 16 points.
Kalangadoo was best served in front of goals by Nathan Reeves with three goals, while Lachy Jones and Leroy Larson managed one each.
For the Demons, Daron McElroy, Ben McGregor and Jake Turner contributed singles.
Larson was voted best player in the final.
The day kicked off with the host club claiming a two-goal win over Tantanoola.
With both sides inaccurate in front of goals, Kongorong managed 4-6-30, while Tantanoola could only muster 2-6-18.
For Kongorong, Michael Waters, Brandon Kranz, Brad Long and Ryan Rutowski all managed a goal each, while for Tantanoola, Sam Haniford and Roy Osborne kicked a major each.
Kalangadoo then went to work against Mount Burr, kicking 5-6-36 to account for the Mozzies, with 2-2-14.
Lachy Jones found two goals for Kalangadoo, while Brad Auld, Mitch Lowe and Matthew May added one each.
For Mount Burr Tom Hales and Sam Wallis contributed one major each.
Hatherleigh was up to the task against Glencoe, claiming the win 6-6-42 to 2-4-16.
Tom Agnew kicked four goals for the victors, while Jake Wight and Brodie Fabris added one each.
For the Murphies, Tom Edwards and Adam Gregory managed a goal each.
Accurate kicking in front of goal gave Port MacDonnell its first win for the day against Robe.
Both managed five shots, with the Demons kicking straight to record five majors, while the Roosters could only muster 3-2-20.
Trent Ebejer and Ben McGregor kicked two each for the Demons, while Angus McGregor added the remaining goal.
Tom Liebert, Jack Kelly and Zac Deane shared the three goals for Robe.
Tantanoola then made short work of Nangwarry, claiming the win 8-5-53, to 2-2-14, with six goal kickers doing the damage.
Cooper Hamilton and Chris Hatt kicked two majors each for the Eagles, while Scott Varcoe, Marc Roberts, Sam Haniford and Roy Osborne shared the remaining goals.
Max Khan and Bradley Talbot managed a goal each for the Saints.
Mount Burr then had to work hard against a tough Kongorong line up, with just two points separating the two sides at the final siren.
The Mozzies found an extra couple of shots in front of goal, but behinds kept the game in the balance.
The final score saw Mount Burr home, 3-4-22 to Kongorong’s 3-2-20.
Tom Renzi led by example, with two goals for the victors, while Callum Morrison added the remaining major.
For Kongorong Josh Smith, Ryleigh Franchetto and Rob Hein shared the three goals.
Port MacDonnell continued its charge for the grand final with a comfortable 6-4-40 to 2-3-15 win over Hatherleigh.
Jake Turner had a big game in front of goals with four majors, while Ben McGregor and Daron McElroy added one each.
For Hatherleigh, Tom Agnew and Tim Merrett shared the two goals.
Another big game for the eventual champions saw Kalangadoo brutal against Nangwarry, claiming the win 8-4-52 to 2-0-12.
Five goal kickers shared the spoils, with Sam McManus (3), Liam Ousey (2), Mitch Lowe, Ethan Maney and Tyrone May (1) all claiming a piece of the action.
Nangwarry’s two goals came from Max Khan and Cody Davis.
In the final round game Robe managed a big win over Glencoe, kicking the biggest score of the day with a 10-1-61 to 5-3-33 victory.
Kane Cuthbertson had a day out, bagging seven majors, while Zac Deane, Jon Agnew and Brandon Nicolle shared the remaining goals.
For Glencoe, Bradley Mitchell and Dylan Childs managed two each, while Adam Gregory kicked the remaining goal.
While just a pre-season competition, it provided a good taste of what to expect in season 2018.
For Robe to kick 10 goals in just 30 minutes of football was impressive, with Cuthbertson’s seven-goal haul providing a real focus up forward.
But Glencoe’s effort to find five majors under such pressure was also a worthy result.
For the reigning premiers it was a tough day at the office, but going on recent reports of their pre-season practice match form, the Mozzies should be a threat to claim yet another flag.
Last year’s runners-up Hatherleigh also found the going tough, but did manage a big win early in the day.
Agnew’s efforts in front of goals will certainly go a long way to keep them at the pointy end of the field.
It appears Kalangadoo was out to make a statement, after finish minor premiers last year then missing out on the big dance.
The Magpies would certainly have unfinished business this season and will look to continue the minor-round form that kept them in the hunt for much of 2017.
