James Murphy
PORT MACDONNELL 28.20 (188) d NANGWARRY 9.8 (62)
UNDER different circumstances a five-goal third term would keep you well in a football contest.
However, Nangwarry entered the second half of its clash with Port MacDonnell already nursing a 46-point deficit, before the home team piled on eight goals in the third to ice the deal.
The Demons continue to go from strength-to-strength this season and other than a blemish to Robe in Round 3, their 2023 campaign is so far a collection of strong results.
On their home deck against a winless Nangwarry, they were always the safe bet and wasted no time gripping the game with both hands.
A huge 43-point output to kick things off put Port MacDonnell up by 29 at the first break, before extending it further leading into half time.
Already Will MacDonald had started to make his presence known and while the tall man is hard to miss on any day, he was particularly prominent on Saturday.
He finished up with an equal game-high five goals, but his workload did not finish there with plenty of impact around the ground and in the ruck.
When you enter the final quarter with a 65-point lead, even the best teams can settle into cruise control to ride the game out.
However, the Demons instead decided they would step on the gas and put in their biggest return of the match with an impressive 10 goals.
It was no surprise the Saints did not see much of the ball inside their attacking 50 and they managed just three behinds for the term, completely at the mercy of the rampant hosts.
Port MacDonnell coach Josh Woodall also had a solid outing and he finished second best to MacDonald.
Wade Chant was another standout down back, limiting Nangwarry forward entries with his marking ability.
Tim Sullivan was another who used his height well, while Alex Ridding and Kai Gilmore rounded out the best.
Gilmore finished up with four majors, as did Christian Howlett and Colby Munro, while Sullivan (three) and Ned Wilke (two) completed a well-rounded and dangerous attack.
Nangwarry’s Andrew Hyland was again the focal point up forward and he was the only multiple goal scorer for the Saints with five – an impressive feat in a losing side.
However, it was the work from Jake Biggs which earned top praise and he was named best on ground ahead of Logan Gibbs.
Thomas Vanderhorst and Joel Virtanen were other standouts, in a day with limited opportunities to shine for the Saints.
