By Lachlan Onions
KALANGADOO 21.11 (137) d MOUNT BURR 12.8 (80)
KALANGADOO put on a clinic at Mount Burr in Round 12 of Mid South Eastern football on Saturday as the Magpies sealed a monster 57-point win.
In a clash which was set to have major implications on finals, the red-hot Magpies were out for revenge after their one-point loss in the last clash between these two sides back in Round 3.
Kalangadoo coach Alex Lyon said the one-point defeat last time provided extra motivation for his team heading into this contest.
“It was definitely a danger game for us, because they obviously knocked us off by a point in the first game and we definitely wanted to make amends,” he said.
“They (Mount Burr) are a very good young side – very quick – so we weren’t taking them lightly in the leadup.
“Especially after that loss to Tantanoola, we knew they would have been pretty fired up.”
Kalangadoo sent a statement early as it booted six goals in the opening quarter to take a 26-point lead at the first break.
“The first five minutes of the quarter was a real arm-wrestle,” Lyon said.
“I think they kicked the first goal of the game and they were looking pretty competitive in the midfield but we were just really efficient going forward.
“We scored a lot from our inside 50s which was pleasing and it gave us a nice little lead heading into quarter time.”
It was more of the same in the second stanza as the Magpies added another six goals to go into half time with a hefty 76-27 lead.
“The second quarter was pretty similar as well,” Lyon said.
“It was an arm-wrestle for the first five-to-10 minutes and then we were able to just stretch the lead more – which was good.”
The Mozzies showed some resilience to begin the second half as they hit the scoreboard within a minute of the break.
Mount Burr was looking dangerous going forward as it kicked 5.2 (32) for the quarter but defensively it could not contain the might of Kalangadoo.
The Mozzies were unable to make any major indentations to the deficit as Kalangadoo kicked four majors in the quarter to take a 45-point lead with one quarter to play.
The Magpies then put the icing on the cake of a sweet victory with another five goals in the last quarter to round out an important win.
“They were able to put on some scores pretty consistently, I just think we played more consistent footy throughout the day and put in a better four-quarter effort,” Lyon said.
It was a spell-binding performance from Tom Schumacher, who was best on ground for the Magpies.
“Tom Schumacher played his best game for the club,” Lyon said.
“He is a half-forward flanker running through the midfield and he was really good for us.
“All the boys in the midfield were really pleasing – Brad Auld had a fantastic game, as did Lachy jones.”
In the forward line, Dylan Bromley was at his absolute best again and added four goals, while Ben Gregory also kicked four majors.
“I thought Ben Gregory did a pretty solid job at centre-half forward with Sam Wallis on him, who is an exceptionally good back-man,” Lyon said.
Jones put in an impressive display to kick three goals, while Sam McManus, Ethan Maney, Jack Casey and Alex Lyon all booted two goals each.
Lyon was pleased with the spread of goals from his side, with nine different goal-kickers for the game.
“I think with Jack Casey coming into our forward line, his experience and his leading patterns really encourages the other boys into the game really well,” he said.
“He is a pretty selfless leader but with him in there, we seem to be able to isolate a lot more one-on-ones and give a much bigger spread to our goal-kickers.”
For Mount Burr, Sam Wallis led the way and was best on ground, while Jack Gregory kicked a game-high five goals and Josh Wallis also made his impact felt with three majors.
After an upset between Port MacDonnell and Robe, there is now just one win between the ladder-leading Demons and third-placed Magpies as the race for finals heats up.
For Mount Burr, the task has gotten much harder if it is to make finals again this year.
The Mozzies are four points behind Hatherleigh in fourth but the Eagles have an extra cushion with a game in hand over Mount Burr.
