On Saturday 24th of August the Northern Knights played their final Home & Away match of season 2013 against the Murray Bushrangers at Wangaratta. The stakes were high for both sides, with a top four position on offer for the Knights, while the Bushrangers were fighting to keep their season alive. The Bushrangers jumped the Knights early, with the Northern boys seeming sluggish after the three hour bus trip from Preston. Murray was able to kick the first four goals of the match, before the Knights finally open their account after a strong contested mark from Liam Hunt. The Knights began to fight back in the second quarter evening things up in general play and were able to kick the only three goals of the quarter through Billy Murphy, Hugh Curnow & Chris McCabe to take a three point lead into the Half Time break. The game then became a real arm wrestle in the third quarter with neither team able to open up a significant lead. A second goal by Curnow was all the Knights could manage for the quarter and trailed by four points at the final change. The last term continued to be a hard fought affair as neither team was prepared to give up an easy goal, Murray then got the first but that was soon answered by 16 year old debutant Sam Peet for Northern. When Matthew Haynes goaled minutes later the Knights held a 3 point lead but the Bushrangers quickly responded to take back the ascendancy and were able to hang on in a tight finish and win by 3 points. Ben Lennon was the standout for the Knights with 37 possessions while Liam Hunt, Hugh Curnow, Jayden Short & Marcus Bontempelli were all solid contributors. Jake Potter continued his strong season in defence and was also one of the Knights best.
This Sunday 1st September the Northern Knights take on Gippsland Power in a TAC Cup Elimination Final at Visy Park, Carlton from 11:15am. The Knights are hopeful of progressing through and keeping their season alive for at least another week.
Last Modified on 30/08/2013 13:05