Swans 18-9-117 def Bulldogs 9-14-68
The battle for 5th spot and a finals berth was on the line at No.1 Oval in Tamworth as the Swans and Dogs tried to put the squeeze on each other. The Swans opened in fine style, getting the ball to in form forward Chris Walker who kicked 5 goals to give the Swans a good lead of 24 points coming into the first break. The Dogs got their game together in the 2nd quarter and bounced back with 4 goals of their own, but Walker was difficult to stop and the Swans also posted 4 goals to lead by 23 at the main break. In the opening 5 minutes of the 3rd quarter the Swans blew the Dogs of the park and kicked 5 goals in as many minutes. This virtually sealed the win then and there and the Dogs who managed to rally slightly towards the end of the quarter could only manage a single goal, giving the Swans a massive 58 point lead coming into the final term. The Bulldogs then found a little pride in their jumper and actually won the last quarter, kicking 3 goals to 2 but the game was well and truly out of reach and the Swans took a deserving win and a closer step to playing finals footy with a firmer grip on 5th spot on the ladder. Dogs coach Doug Garnett was disappointed in the loss and stated that we were in every part of the game except for 5 mins in the first quarter and the 10 minutes in the 3rd quarter where the Swans just hammered us and we had no answers. Swans coach Lachlan ROWLINGS said after the game, "Great job done. This was a real test to see where we stand in the competition and the group responded. We just need to build momentum and play consistent running football. We controlled the ball through the midfield and the conversion in front of goal was a credit to our forward line."
Saints 20-25-145 def Cats 8-6-54
The Saints made the long trip down to Muswellbrook's home ground of Werriman field to try and establish their dominance at the top of the table once and for all. In a big away win the Saints were 12 goal victors over the home team who are always hard to beat at home, so this win is certainly a stand out for the high flying Saints. With young gun ALex Walker leading the way with 9 goals, the Saints led at each turn and basically had the game wrapped up by 3/4 time with a 12 goal lead going into the final quarter. For the visitors Mick Viney chipped in with 3 goals and Fraser Hughes & Stuart Mansbridge kicked a pair of goals each. For the home side Rhys Smith, Adam White and Stuart McAdam all slotted doubles.
Roos 18-18-126 def Eagles 6-9-45
While the Eagles are a stronger team at home, they didn't trouble the visiting Roos who had a 12 goal away win at Leitch Oval in Narrabri. Scoring points has been a problem for the Eagles all year and against the fairly strong Roos defence, that was always going to be a difficult task. The Roos had little trouble scoring with Dan Overeem leading the way with a best player performance and 3 goals, supported by Ash Cruickshank who also bagged 3 majors. Lynden Cini, Cam Douglas and Andrew Hawkins all bagged doubles for the Roos as well. For the Home side the reliable Dave Pate slotted a pair of goals and Mark "Rabbit" Barrow was his teams best player.
Last Modified on 16/07/2007 08:41