Central 2.4 (16) d Murray South East 1.7 (13)
A NAIL-biting three-point loss to Central cost Murray South East a chance at its three-peat in the South Australian Country Football Championships at Renmark on Saturday.
The strong winds made for a difficult conditions, but it was not to deter Murray South East from giving its all.
The reigning champions kicked with the wind in the opening half of the contest, but failed to make the most of their opportunities.
Simon Berkefeld, Billy Lawrie and Clint Gallio found plenty of the football, but possession in the forward 50 was wasted more often than not.
Gallio was able to boot the ball through the big sticks in the opening half, but a 1.6 score at the break made for a tough final 20 minutes.
Scott Merrett, Alex Pfieffer and Jayden Eldridge worked overtime to stop the attack from Central and kept it scoreless in the opening half.
However, a determined Central outfit returned after the break.
Murray South East’s backline put up a solid fight and held the lead with just three minutes remaining.
However, Central was able to kick truly as the clock ticked down and as a result claimed the win by a mere three points to put Murray South East out of the championship race.
Murray South East 10.4 (64) d Eastern 2.0 (12)
DESPITE their chances of a grand final berth over, Murray South East still had a point to prove when it tackled Eastern on Saturday afternoon.
The strong winds still made for difficult football, but Murray South East left nothing on the table.
Kicking with the wind in the opening half, the former champions had plenty of the football and made no mistake when it came to converting.
Murray South East booted an impressive six goals in the opening half, while holding Eastern scoreless.
Clint Gallio and Billy Lawrie were strong around the contest, while Tom Hutchesson ran hard on the wing to give their side first use of the football.
Defensive efforts from Jayden Eldridge and Scott Merrett were again impressive and contributed to Murray South East’s control of the game.
The dominance continued in the second half – despite kicking into the wind – and Murray South East claimed a solid 52-point victory.
Eastern scored just two goals for the game, while Murray South East piled on an impressive 10.4 in the blowy conditions.
Murray South East 9.9 (63) d Southern Districts 6.5 (41)
MURRAY South East earned bragging rights over its rivals Southern Districts in the second versus second clash for overall third place at Renmark Oval on Sunday morning.
Still disappointed with their game one loss on Saturday, Murray South East came out firing in the longer-format match.
Kicking with the wind in the first quarter, Murray South East soon gained ascendancy and went into the break with a 13-point lead.
Billy Lawrie was a force to be reckoned with in the mid-field, while Callum Currie also found his feet at the higher level.
Tom Hutchesson and Clint Gallio continued their stellar form from Saturday to contribute to the 10-point advantage at half time.
A big third quarter was needed to create some breathing room between Murray South East and their rivals.
Scott Merrett’s run off half-back was a big contributor to Murray South East breaking the game open
A 29-point deficit at the final break gave the former champions some breathing room and two goals into the wind in the last quarter assured the game was all sewn up.
In the end, Murray South East claimed a comfortable 22-point victory to finish third in the South Australian Country Championships in Renmark.
