Finley Cats triumph over Barooga

Finley’s defenders, led by Jordan Daniel, Jacob Armer and Matt Jackson, stood tall and delivered a stellar defensive effort, restricting Barooga to just four goals. Their attack on the ball and coordination were key in maintaining control over the game.

On the offensive front, Lachlan Hawkins and Paul Massingham each contributed multiple goals. Their efforts helped the Cats secure the win, marking a successful outing for the team.

For Barooga, Nick Dore, Jayden Geisler and Thomas Barker were notable players, each putting in commendable performances despite the loss.

Finley host Numurkah this week, and this win adds momentum to their season. The team will look to build on this performance in their upcoming matches.

Final score: Finley 8.7 (55) def Barooga 4.10 (34).

Goals: Lachy Hawkins 2, Paul Massingham 2, Nick Burns, Harrison King, Lachy Webb, Mitch Carson.

Best players: Cruz Nash, Nik Burns, Dan O’Bryan, Lachy Hawkins, Archie Mason, Matt Jackson.

Awards: Cruz Nash, Nik Burns, Dan O’Bryan, Archie Mason, Matt Jackson.

Reserves:

With the coach away, there was some recruiting done to run the team.

Mark Milthorpe and Warwick Doolan led the charge, with the players primed up to give their best.

From the start, Barooga weren’t going to make it easy. With plenty of pressure from both teams, Finley were up by just a goal at quarter time.

The second quarter opened up a little more with some great passages of play and more desire for the ball, which saw Finley finish the quarter two goals up.

In the third term, Barooga weren’t giving up and showed this could be their chance for a win and gained confidence that was hard to stop. The lead changed in their favour.

With a pep up at the break, Finley came out firing again, but Barooga weren’t going to lay down and fought right to the end.

With a Finley goal in the last minute, the Cats were able to hold a one point lead to win an exciting game.

Final scores: Finley 5.8 (38) def Barooga 5.7 (37).

Goals: Reece Simmons 2, Lachy Kerr, James Kennedy, Peter Cochrane.

Best players: Charlie Langdon, Harry Haynes, Nathan Brown, Peter Cochrane, Lachy Kerr, Justin Crowley.

Awards: Nathan Brown, Peter Cochrane, Harry Haynes, Charlie Langdon, Justin Crowley.

Thirds:

Fresh off the bye, the boys were keen to continue recent improvement in their game against Barooga.

The young Cats have been working at their starts and this continued on Saturday.

Newly appointed joint captains Harry Daniel and Cooper Sutton continued leading by example with their attack on the ball and work rate.

Blake Vidler showcased his contested ball winning all day (one goal) and was helped out by Jeremy Doolan (one goal) and Tom White.

Ryder Loomes showed a lot of promise when moved into the ruck and finished his day with a nice goal.

Unfortunately, the scoreboard wasn’t in the Cats’ favour, but the team looks forward to continuing the improvement this weekend back at home against Numurkah.

Final scores: Finley 3.1 (19) lost to Barooga 11.11 (77).

Goals: Ryder Loomes, Jeremy Doolan, Blake Vidler.

Best players: Blake Vidler, Ryder Loomes, Harry Daniel, Tom White, Joel Fitzell, Jeremy Doolan.

Awards: Blake Vidler, Ryder Loomes, Harry Daniel, Tom White, Joel Fitzell.

Fourths:

The break gave the boys some much-needed rest and a great opportunity to practice with more freedom.

With a new first-time player on the field, and a lot of enthusiasm, Finley went over to take on the Hawks at their home ground.

They started strong with Angus Urquhart laying a spectacular tackle to get the engines going on the cold morning, and resulting in a goal from Judd Clarke, as hard work from every player to earn territory paid off.

However, as the game became dry and skills became cleaner, Barooga showed their class and hit good kicks that allowed them to get a lead going into the last quarter.

This was despite the efforts of Noah Brindley and Lachie Marshall, who got to contests first to give the side first look at the ball.

Joel Fitzell was a reliable last line of defence as always.

The young Cats couldn’t manage another major score until Judd Clarke returned forward to assert himself in the square for the final goal of the game.

Final score: Finley 2.1 (13) lost to Barooga 4.8 (32).

Goals: Judd Clarke 2.

Best players: Angus Urquhart, Dom Kelly, Lachy Marshall, Samuel Hay, Campbell Reynolds.

Awards: Angus Urquhart, Samuel Hay, Judd Clarke, Joel Fitzell, Lachy Marshall, Noah Brindley.

Under 12s:

This game was played in wet conditions and looked keen from the start.

After a loss last week, the Cats knew they would have to lift for a different result, and lift they did.

From the first bounce the midfield were on top with great ball movement forward.

The training during the week was based around finding our opponents in defence and slowing down their run forward, which led to a lower score to beat.

Each quarter saw confidence grow from full back to full forward, resulting in Finley coming away with the win.

While not officially scored, Finley defeated Barooga.

Awards: Colby Price, Flynn Rourke.

Finley Cats triumph over Barooga in a nail-biting finish

The Finley Cats put on a strong performance in challenging wet conditions during their clash against Nathalia.

From the first bounce, the Cats dominated field position, keeping the ball in their forward half for the majority of the game.

It was a particularly brilliant outing for the younger members of the team, who showed great skill, determination and composure despite the slippery conditions.

Special mentions to Max Vallance and Colton Johnson, who were awarded for their outstanding contributions throughout the match. A great effort from the entire team.

Awards: Max Vallance, Colton Johnson.