PREMIUM
Sport

Saints march to win

The Deni Rovers met Berrigan in what was potentially a Picola & District League grand final preview in both thirds and fourths footy at Memorial Park in Deniliquin on Saturday.There was plenty of hype around the match-ups, with the Saints having members of the Deni Rams playing for them this year.The local rivalry provided a thrilling clash in the thirds, with Berrigan scoring a 23 point win in wet and muddy conditions.The Rovers got the upper hand early, taking a one goal lead into quarter time in a low-scoring affair.The Saints flicked the switch in the second with four unanswered goals seeing them hold a 21 point lead at the main break.The margin was pegged back to 14 points at three quarter time, but Berrigan flexed their muscle in the last kicking 2.4 to 1.1 to hand the Roos their first loss of the season.Final score, Berrigan 7.8 (50) to Deni Rovers 4.3 (27).For the home side it was Haydn Mowat who was best on ground, playing like it was a dry day with clean ball use and running hard all game. Others named among the best were Raymond Murphy, Khy Stovell (two goals), Brock Redden, Tom Banks (one) and Pat Westcott.Hayden Gardiner also hit the scoreboard with one goal for the home side.Duncan Hughes (one goal), a Rams export, was Berrigan’s best, along with Max Cameron, Cooper Willoughby (one), Jack Richards and Darcy Pyle.Darcy McManus led the scoring with two majors, with Matt Whelan, Jimmy Curtain and Kai Hillier also scoring one goal each.Rovers coach Adam Bodey said he was impressed by his side’s efforts despite the loss. ‘‘I’m proud of the effort of the boys despite the loss. ‘‘There were plenty of positives to come out of the game, particularly the way we attacked the footy, and we are looking forward to hitting the training track and making improvements for the second half of the season,’’ he said.‘Haydn Mowat starred on the wing and Ray Murphy was in and under every contest and used the ball well in the middle. ‘‘Khy Stovell played centre half forward and onball, providing a target all day and took some big marks despite the conditions.‘‘Brock Redden used his run to generate play from halfback, Tom Banks gave another great contested effort and Pat Wescott was in and under fighting for everything on the forward flank.‘‘Both sides played well in stages and momentum shifted throughout the game, so hopefully we can give it a red hot crack again next time we face Berrigan.’’The Rovers stamped their claim as clear favourites in the fourths, storming home to an 84 point win against the Saints.It was a four-quarter performance by the Roos, leading by 20, 38 and 64 points at each break respectively.Final score, Deni Rovers 14.6 (90) to Berrigan 1.0 (6).Eddie Dudley was unstoppable in attack, booting five goals to be one of the Rovers’ best players.Others to play well for the Roos were sisters Shaleah and Jemika Cooper, Cam Wills (two goals), Liam East (one) and Tyson Willis (two).Others to hit the scoreboard were Jackson Muldoon-Leetham (two goals), Brodie Elphick (one) and Austin Armytage (one).Marcus Moorse (one goal) was Berrigan’s best, while Brodie Park, Charlton Baxter, Ryan Thornton, Liam Brown and Jai Park were also solid contributors.The day also saw the fifths meet in a match where scores were not kept.The Rovers will be at home for a third week in a row when they face Blighty this Saturday, while the Saints will host Jerilderie.