With visibility at a premium, the contest was scrappy from the opening bounce, making clean ball movement and scoring opportunities difficult to come by.
Despite the challenging conditions, Jerilderie’s defence stood tall all afternoon, absorbing Katunga’s forward entries and refusing to give the visitors any easy looks at goal.
Up forward, Kane Hawkins was simply unstoppable, finishing with a magnificent seven-goal haul.
Hawkins made the most of every opportunity that came his way and was the difference on the scoreboard in a game where scoring was at a premium.
Brad Aylett was outstanding once again, covering the ground tirelessly and having an influence wherever the game was being played.
His relentless work rate was rewarded with two goals to cap off another dominant midfield performance.
While it wasn’t the prettiest display of football, Jerilderie did what was required in difficult conditions.
The backline’s resilience, Hawkins’ accuracy in front of goal and Aylett’s all-round brilliance ensured the home side banked an important win.
It may not have been a classic, but the four points are safely in the bank as Jerilderie turns its attention to the next challenge.
Final score: Katunga 4.8 (32) def by Jerilderie 9.7 (61).
Reserves
Jerilderie made a great start and set the tone early, taking the game right up to Katunga going in at quarter time with the lead.
However, the team drifted away from its brand of football, allowing the opposition to build momentum and take control.
The backline stood tall all day under constant pressure, but ultimately poor decisions and a lack of drive at key moments proved costly as Katunga came away with the win.
Final score: Katunga 9.3 (57) def Jerilderie 4.1 (25).
Thirds
Heavy fog made for tough conditions, but despite the challenging weather, the Demons battled hard from the opening bounce and never stopped competing.
Cooper Gurciullo produced a breakout performance, standing tall in defence by giving his opponent no room to move before and providing plenty of drive when rotating through the midfield.
Evan Lawton, Logan Eldridge and James Winn were once again outstanding, putting together another complete team performance with their relentless work rate, pressure and willingness to contest every ball.
Despite the Demons’ effort, Katunga proved too strong.
The Dees will look to take positives from the performance and bounce back next week.
Final score: Katunga 6.14 (50) def Jerilderie 2.1 (13).
Fourths
It was a scrappy, hard-fought contest in the cold and wet fog, with both sides forced to work for every possession.
The Demons’ backline and midfield applied relentless pressure to the opposition ball carriers all day, which was reflected in Katunga’s 11 behinds by the final siren.
Although the final score wasn’t the result the Demons were hoping for, this young side can be proud of the effort, determination and resilience they again showed.
Their willingness to compete and never give in has been a credit to the club.
Final score: Katunga 4.11 (35) def Jerilderie 1.0 (6).
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