By Lachlan Onions
KALANGADOO 26.17 (173) d NANGWARRY 3.5 (23)
KALANGADOO continues to soar towards finals as it comfortably dealt with Nangwarry in Round 13 of Mid South Eastern football on Saturday.
The Magpies were unplagued by the miserable weather which swept across the Limestone Coast as they put in a resounding four-quarter performance.
Kalangadoo coach Alex Lyon was delighted with the way his side dealt with the conditions as they kicked 26 goals amidst the wet weather.
“I was really happy,” he said.
“It was really good to do that in the conditions we had as well.
“It got a bit slippery – we had a fair bit of rain during the B Grade game – so I was pretty impressed with the boys.”
From the outset, it was clear that it was going to be a long day for the Saints as the hosts booted six unanswered goals in the first term to take a 41-3 lead.
It was more of the same in the second quarter as Kalangadoo kicked another six majors and held the Saints to 1.1 (7) to head into the long break with a hefty 71-point lead.
However, the Magpies were not done yet as the booted another five goals in the third quarter to head into the final change with a 115-22 lead.
Kalangadoo then put the icing on the cake with nine unanswered majors in the fourth term to claim an emphatic 150-point win.
Dylan Bromley’s strong season continued as he put on a clinic to finish with a bag of five goals for the Magpies.
Ben Gregory, Tye McManus and Lachy Jones were also in red-hot form as the trio kicked 11 goals between them.
There was little respite for the Saints defenders as there were nine Kalangadoo players who kicked two or more goals in a relentless display.
“They played a really good team-first brand of footy,” Lyon said.
“They stuck to the game-plan and they brought each other into the game, which was what we wanted – we didn’t want to have an individual focus.”
With such a variety of players who can impact the score-line, Lyon has been impressed with the way the Magpies’ forward line has operated as a unit this campaign.
“It is really handy, I feel like we are getting to a point where it might be tricky to man-up on us,” he said.
“We have got some good bigs down there that are all performing and working well together.
“There are not too many egos there which is good and as a unit, they are playing good footy together.”
Lyon was also impressed with the pressure his side applied throughout the four quarters as they were ruthless both on and off the ball.
“The midfielders were really good – they kept the pressure up all day,” he said.
“We had 58 tackles, which is probably our highest and it was in a game where we had most of the footy.
“That was pretty impressive.”
Kalangadoo’s win means the reigning premiers have moved up to second on the ladder in what is one of the most tightly-contested top-four battles in recent years.
“We are in a good position as a club at the moment,” Lyon said.
“Touch wood if we can stay injury-free and keep everyone on the park, we will keep playing good footy and keep improving.
“It is going to come down to the wire at the end of the season between us, Robe and Hatherleigh as to who can get that second position but hopefully we can snag it.”
