SENIOR COLTS – PENOLA 16.7 (103) d PADTHAWAY LUCINDALE 1.2 (8)
PENOLA’S Senior Colts side continued its winning ways with a convincing victory over Padthaway Lucindale in the third round of the Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara Junior Football League on Saturday.
The Eagles flew into the clash at Lucindale with confidence after their maiden win and produced a near-complete performance to move up to third on the ladder.
The home team had no answer for Penola’s game plan and were blown away from the outset in perfect conditions.
Padthaway Lucindale could only manage two behinds for the entire first half, while the Eagles peppered the scoreboard.
By half time the visitors were on fire and had already stormed to a 70-point lead.
It was not until the third quarter the combined team was able to register a goal thanks to Myles Bittner.
That was the only moment of celebration for Padthaway Lucindale as Penola continued to kick its way to a commanding win.
With an 82-point lead at three-quarter time, a triple-figure victory appeared a certainty for the Eagles, but they could only convert two majors in a low-scoring final term.
However, it failed to dampen an impressive performance from the improving side.
Penola Senior Colts coach Jamie Morton said it was close to the perfect game.
“It was sensational – everyone had their moments and put in,” he said.
“I could not ask for a much better performance.”
Morton believed one of the standout aspects of the win was the side’s inside-50 entries.
“They were running into space and sharing the ball like I wanted them to do,” he said.
“We created great entry into the forward line.”
At the receiving end of the positive ball movement was Brad Gartner, who enjoyed a fine day by kicking a five-goal bag.
Darcy Porter and Jake Klemm also had an impact on the scoreboard with three goals each.
As captain Porter continued to show his skills and claimed a third consecutive best-on-ground award.
Second best was Sam Hayes who played in the ruck with an increased work rate around the ground.
In the backline Joel Dent and Corey Brand produced plenty of drive and also earned recognition.
Despite the significant victory margin, Morton thought Padthaway Lucindale made sure the Eagles worked hard for the victory.
“They definitely pushed our backline,” he said.
“The result did not reflect how hard they worked and they were just unlucky.”
This Saturday Penola returns home to face Kingston at 11.30am and Morton expects a challenge against the only undefeated side in the competition.
“It will be good to be back at home and take on the top-of-the-ladder team,” he said.
“It will be interesting, but if the boys play like we did on the weekend, we should be around the mark.”
JUNIOR COLTS – PADTHAWAY LUCINDALE 7.5 (47) d PENOLA 1.8 (14)
PENOLA’S youngest football side suffered its third straight defeat after another challenging outing against Padthaway Lucindale in the 2020 Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara Junior Colts competition.
The Eagles travelled to Lucindale with the hope of a maiden win, but those dreams were soon dashed.
Padthaway Lucindale raced away and stretched the lead at every change.
The home side did not allow the visitors to score until the last term, but did not have it all their own way.
Although the match result was inevitable at three-quarter time when the hosts enjoyed a 46-0 advantage, Penola responded with vigour in the closing stages.
Zac Zema scored the Eagles’ only goal as the visitors dominated the final stanza with nine scoring shots to one.
Penola Junior Colts coach Phil Gartner said the promising finish gave a bright spark to a disappointing day.
“Unfortunately our opponents got ahead of us and it took the boys a while to find their feet,” he said.
“We had a fair amount of the ball through the game, but the boys just lacked a little bit of confidence.
“In the first half we were not manning up enough, but in the last quarter we kept attacking and never went into our shells.
“They all found a bit of energy and had most of the play to finish the game off well, which was very pleasing.”
Gartner believes the turnaround was created by giving his players more freedom to move forward, with a focus on attack in the last quarter.
Cooper Gartner was named as the Eagles’ best player on the day after playing several roles.
He started at full back before moving into the middle to complete a solid four-quarter performance.
Thomas Currie displayed desperation throughout the game and Ned Skeer impressed in the middle, while Zema and Alex Merrett both provided options inside the 50-metre arc.
This weekend Penola returns to its home ground and has a golden opportunity to score a maiden win against Kingston.
The Saints are also without a win in 2020 and have scored less points than the Eagles in the three rounds so far.
