Jerilderie edged out a determined Blighty seniors outfit in a hard-fought clash at Jerilderie on Saturday, prevailing by just three points in challenging, windy conditions.
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The seniors opened up the season with an arm wrestle of a contest, going back and forth all day.
A strong breeze made one end of the ground clearly favourable, and both sides looked to make the most of their opportunities when kicking with it.
Jerilderie started well and were able to capitalise on their time with the advantage, but Blighty refused to go away, keeping the margin within reach throughout the afternoon.
The final quarter turned into a tense arm wrestle. Blighty surged forward repeatedly and had every chance to steal the game late, but four missed opportunities to take the lead proved costly.
Jerilderie’s defence held firm under pressure, managing to repel the attacks and cling to their narrow lead until the final siren.
There were several standout performances for Jerilderie. George Flanagan impressed in his first game for the club, marking the occasion with his first goal in Jerilderie colours.
Cam O’Brien was influential across the ground, while Brad Aylett made a strong return for his former side, finishing as Jerilderie’s leading goal kicker with two majors.
Oliver Knight provided important rebound out of defence, consistently driving the ball forward, while Chris Marshall and Sam Sleigh also played key roles in the victory.
There were some new faces for Blighty, including Jai Park, who stepped up with multiple goals, and Mattia Curry fought hard down back.
Final score: Jerilderie 8.11 (59) def Blighty 7.14 (56).
Reserves
Jerilderie’s opened the season a bit light on numbers and hosted a full strength Blighty.
From the first bounce the game was a scrappy back-and-forth style with both ends of the ground seeing plenty of the ball.
Blighty were first to jump on the board with a goal, but David Hercus answered straight back, kicking Jerilderie’s first goal.
Jerilderie’s Tom Keech had his debut game for the club and instantly made an impact with his strong performance off centre half back.
Unfortunately, two key Jerilderie players went down injured in the fourth quarter and the Demons simply could not hold back the hungry Blighty side.
The Redeyes had some great defensive pressure at both ends, especially through Nick Taylor’s intercept and air work.
Jacob Wawrzycki was super down the back as well, holding the game in the balance until the midfield of Jack Sanders, Will McCallum and co clicked in the last, opening it up and setting up the last few scores to take the win.
Final score: Jerilderie 1.4 (10) def by Blighty 4.1 (25).
Thirds
Blighty hasn't fielded a thirds side for three years, so it is something pretty special.
From the start it was an arm wrestle with both sides not wanting to give up anything to their opponent.
Young Jerilderie leaders Evan Lawton and James Winn never seemed to be out of a contest, throwing themselves at everything and gaining plenty of touch.
The Dees had the wind but just couldn’t convert their shots, going into quarter time 0.3 (3) to 1.1 (7).
From the second quarter, the Redeyes started to get the game on their terms. But young Dom Gurciullo kicked the Demons’ first and started a bit of momentum.
However, with an inaccurate day of goal kicking, it was too late.
Final score: Jerilderie 2.8 (20) def by Blighty 9.5 (59).
Charlie Rennie got the best on for Blighty, followed by Harry Nolan, Xander Strong, Zach Grimison and Sam Conallin.
Jerilderie best players: Evan Lawton, James Winn, Charlie Rorato, Campbell Rowans, Jackson Haas-Laing, Logan Eldridge.
Fourths
Jerilderie competed hard all day and never dropped their heads, which is exactly the attitude to build on.
Jobe Marshall played his best game for the club, showing great composure and willingness to get involved in the contest.
Tony and Dominic Gurciullo were terrific leaders on the ground, setting the standard with their attack on the ball and work rate across all four quarters.
It was a positive start to the season and a strong foundation to build on moving forward.
There were many first-time experiences for the Blighty fourths, with six members of the team getting their first goals - Daniel Burns, Langa Fevaleaki, Kayden Leech, Ari Tremble, Degan Morgan, and Ben Macdonald.
The team could not have achieved this without the help of the fifths players stepping up this week - Ari Tremble, Bill Doherty, Felix McKenzie, Jack Macdonald and Franklin Norman.
Final score: Jerilderie 2.0 (12) def by Blighty 9.9 (63).