What a fantastic game of footy we witnessed last week!! A 3 point nail biter that had many in the crowd describing it as the best game of country footy theyd seen in a long while!! Thankfully the Hawks finished on the right side of the ledger to redeem themselves after the Moama debacle.
The U/14s set the day up in the first match of the day when they played out a draw after trailing for most of the game. Rumba wanted the ball more than the Hawks for the first half before our boys began to dig deep and claw their way back into the game. Levelling the scores late in the final term, they were unable to hit the front despite their best efforts.
At least we didnt see any players celebrate, thinking theyd won, not like their AFL counterparts!
Jake Russell (Outdoor Indulgence) and Arty Rootsey (Healthy Foods) were inspirational and tried valiantly to get the boys over the line. Harry Foster (Barooga General Store) and Callum Leighton-Daly (Barooga Bakery) were very good players. Matt Plugger Demaio booted a couple again and Lachlan Wright received the encouragement award.
The U/17s copped a hiding for the second week in a row and, with Mulwala, Finley and Deniliquin to come, will be hoping to have a full list to pick from sooner rather than later. The Hawks played some pretty good footy in patches, particularly early in the game but Rumba had too much firepower and got better as the game progressed, kicking 12 unanswered goals in the second half.
James Leech returned to the side from representative duties with the NSW squad and showed the week of footy in Sydney served him well by playing a great game in the ruck and later at centre half forward. He took home the Menthas Voucher. Cam Nye (Andrew Jenkins Real Estate) relished the opportunity to play up the ground, Tom Currie (Babcon Hire) did a great job on a dangerous opponent and Adam Brewster (Barooga Bakery) continues to work hard despite a back ailment.
Perhaps the highlight of the game was the form displayed by our Russian recruit Andre Romanov. He took a couple of marks and got involved whenever the ball was in his area and was rewarded with the Barooga General Store Award. Well done Andre and we look forward to witnessing your continued improvement.
The Seconds continued on their merry way with another big win, although it wasnt until the last term that they really exerted their authority. An altercation in the second term saw Nick Quinane go into the book and shortly afterwards Joel Kirk suffered an ankle injury that will sideline him for a couple of games. This did little to help the Hawks cause as they only scored a couple of goals in the third term.
Whatever Jonno said at the final break worked though as the boys came out and booted Rumba off the park with a 10 goal last term. Travis Nye (Bottom Pub 1) is in magnificent form at the moment and covers more ground than Mal the Machine McKean staggering home from the pub!!! Trav booted 6 and dominated the ruck contests. Adam Fox (Bottom Pub 2) and Glen Horse Nye (Barooga Hotel) picked up countless possessions while Jono ODwyer (Babcon Hire) was ruthless in defence. Jimmy Brooks (Barooga Sporties) and Rodney Rocket Lucas were great targets in attack. It was great to see a jet lagged Rohan OCallaghan take the field in the twos and he showed the trekking has kept him in good shape and we should see him back the Seniors shortly.
To the big one and, as mentioned, what a spectacle we witnessed. The Hawks bolted out of the blocks and dominated the early part of the game. Sean Robbins was in control of the ruck and Dallas Gallagher was on fire in attack and with the Hawk midfielders getting plenty of the footy it looked like it might have been all over by half time.
Not to be denied, Rumba scored a couple of late goals in the second term and then blasted their way back to take the lead with 5 goals to start the third term and it was game on!!
It was to be a test of character for the Hawks and they passed with flying colours. Marty Moose Brooks played one of the best quarters of footy you could see, repelling Rumba every time they ventured forward. Robbo, Dallas, Brent Chapman, Tyron Hill and Andrew Smith showed why Geoff Gaylard targeted them over the summer and the Hawks got home by 3 points.
The game was played in terrific spirit and it was a credit to both sides as well as the umpires. The pace of the game and the skill level were extremely high and every aspect of our great game was on display. Rumbalara again showed that they will be a force to be reckoned with while the Hawks bounced back and certainly made a statement.
Incentive Awards went to Marty, Tim ODwyer, Jamie Stanyer and Chappy while this weeks player auction winners were Marty � Nerissa Syndicate and Trav Nye � Others Syndicate.
The Wig night was a tremendous success and thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended, although Wayne Plonko Smith may have disagreed come Sunday morning. He took the long way home, 3 steps forward, 2 steps back and countless sideways and he even managed to do some gardening along the way! Great to see everyone embracing the theme for the night and raising money for the Cancer Council, thanks to Jordan and the Social committee.
This week we travel across to Mulwala, lets make sure we enjoy it.
~ Squawk.
Netball: 15/U: Barooga 5 to Rumbalara 28. A very physical game of netball and to the girls credit they played it to the end with a positive attitude. The last quarter saw the girls lift with wonderful support coming from the side line.
Awards: Mikala and Samantha
17/U: Barooga 28 to Rumbalara 34. Good effort girls we just need to be able to play strong for the whole 4 quarters. A little more effort at training and on game day and we will get there. Award Amy Russell
C Reserve: Barooga 31 to Rumbalara 28. A well contested game, we gained a slim lead in the first and managed to maintain it to the end. Credit to our girls for keeping steady and focused when Rumba put together some good passages in the third, however it did result in our first casualty for the season with Joe going down-lets hope its just bruised and shell be back soon!! A great game from Hayley in Centre gave her the Fosters Group Award.
C Grade: Barooga 28 to Rumbalara 37. At the end of the game, the score didnt show how hard the girls actually worked. Well done to those who kept their heads up the entire game. I am seeing improvement every week so keep up the hard work, and have a think about what you can do to improve your personal game. Remember to keep the talk up girls; I know we can go a long way this year! Bottom Pub award to Jeni and DVine Ideas award to Marlie.
A Grade: Barooga 33 to Rumbalara 53. Well try and take some positives away from a big loss against quality opposition. Again no one gave up even when we were a long way down. We can learn from this loss and try to improve aspects of our game so next time we can close the margin. Thanks Brigit for coming up again, you played a good quarter. Barooga Pub Award Leah. GO HAWKS!