By Trevor Jackson
Hatherleigh 16.18 (114) d Glencoe 7.5 (47)
While Hatherleigh slipped to second position on the Mid South East football ladder after the weekend’s round of games, it was not due to a poor performance on the field.
Kalangadoo used a huge percentage-boosting win over Nangwarry to claim top spot after the Round 6 fixtures, while the Eagles claimed a big win of their own against Glencoe.
The writing was on the wall from the opening term, where the visiting Eagles banged on five majors and a couple of minors, while the Murphies could only manage one goal.
There was a clear scoring end but not how it appeared.
According to Hatherleigh coach Jake Dowdy it seemed the scoring came into the wind.
Either way, goals were hard to come by in the second term, as the Eagles kicked just one major score and eight behinds in the second term in the tough conditions, while the Murphies added just two behinds to their tally.
The third term was again all Hatherleigh, as the Eagles stretched the margin out to 60 points at the final break to stamp their authority on the contest.
Then to add insult to injury, Glencoe kicked four goals in the final term but the Eagles added a further five to their coffers to run out easy victors.
At the attacking end of the ground the Eagles’ forwards enjoyed their day out.
Dowdy, Brad Mitchell, Jack Skeer and Max Telfer all kicked three goals, while Jordan Galpin and Zach Jones added two each.
It could have been much more had the swirling breeze not added difficulty to set shots.
“I think Jack Skeer had eight shots at goal, I had eight shots, I think Brad Mitchell had about five or six,” Dowdy said.
“In the swirly conditions it was hard kicking them.
“We all got a bit frustrated, as you do, but it is what it is.”
A big focus for Dowdy this year has been to mix it up in the attacking 50, which appears to be taking shape.
“We have a fair few goal scorers which is a good sign,” he said.
“You can’t just rely on one bloke all year or it is too easy for opposition to shut down.”
Hatherleigh was certainly in control for the majority of the contest.
Glencoe looked to close down the Eagles’ forward forays, with little effect in the end.
“Most games, teams will play two or three blokes behind the play,” Dowdy said.
“We started with Jack Skeer one-out in the square and at one stage Glencoe had three blokes behind the play.
“Then we went a bit more traditional with three blokes down there, so we had a big focus on not blazing away, hitting targets, lower your eyes and if there is a shorter option use it.”
One area the Eagles have struggled with this season has been a good start.
Several games have seen the side challenged early in the contest but Dowdy said that was all coming together now.
“Apart from the weekend, against Robe was the only other game we started pretty well,” he said.
“Against Tantanoola we started slow, so this week we wanted to start well.
“Kicking into the wind from the start we knew we had to work hard, run and carry.
“We did that pretty well and scored a bit more fluently, so we were pretty happy to get a good start.”
While the Eagles now sit in second position on the ladder, Dowdy is not concerned.
He said it was more about the side’s game plan coming together as the season builds, with a big focus on an upcoming clash in a few weeks.
“I don’t think it is too much about percentage but more just trying to get our game going,” Dowdy said.
“Then when we do play Kalangadoo we will be at our best.”
