James Murphy
KALANGADOO 20.18 (138) d NANGWARRY 6.3 (39)
The Magpies swooped on another percentage-boosting victory when they visited Nangwarry on Saturday.
There was no denying Kalangadoo was the sure favourite for the Round 15 clash, but the Saints will take merit from a hard-fought performance.
They went down by 99 points in the end – a far cry from the 198 loss in Round 6.
A strong breeze favoured one end and the Saints held the advantage in the opening term.
The result was an even quarter with two goals each and Kalangadoo sat three points up at the change.
However, as the wind traded hands the Magpies spread their wings and piled on eight goals before half time, while leaving the Saints scoreless for the quarter.
To the host’s credit they outscored their opponent in the third quarter four goals to two and reeled the margin back in to 45.
It was a valiant effort, but when the Magpies booted another eight unanswered goals in the fourth, the margin blew beyond reach.
Kalangadoo coach Kevin Stark gave credit to the Saints, whose work rate he said did not lapse at any stage throughout the game.
“They really made us work for it all day, which is good signs for them and good for us that we had to work for it too,” he said.
“They came out with really good intent early and it took us a little bit just to get into our grind.
“They didn’t drop off all day, they really kept working.
“We felt in control, but I felt like they had a constant pressure on us.”
There was no single target in Kalangadoo’s attack and the Saints’ defence was left guessing as five players snagged three goals each.
Ben Gregory, Michael Krieger, Ben Mules, Andrew Stone and Justin Bromley all found the big sticks frequently, while Sam McManus also scored multiple with two.
Stone put in a strong performance for the Magpies and was recognised as best on ground.
“He just worked really hard through the midfield all day,” Stark said.
“He got a lot of the ball, used it well and worked hard in and under on the footy.
“Then he did the same when play transitioned to the outside – his work rate really showed through.”
Gregory was also solid, while Mitchel Lowe and Josh La Rocca featured highly as well in what Stark described as another strong team performance.
For the Saints Andrew Hyland and Joel Virtanen were the focal points with three and two goals respectively.
Virtanen also featured highly in the best, while it was Isaac Raymond who received the best-on-ground honours in a performance which had plenty of positives for the wooden spooners.
Stark said the focus for his team now is to just take things a week at a time as Kalangadoo looks to continue building momentum.
A win against Robe this weekend would lock in a top-two finish, with finals just around the corner.
