The Cats were victorious in their first encounter of the year, but could not match the Rams on the latter’s home turf.
The Rams started strong, kicking five goals to Finley's one in the opening term, setting the tone for the match.
Despite the early setback, Finley managed to match Deniliquin in the second quarter, with both teams scoring three goals each.
The third quarter saw Deniliquin regain control, adding another five goals while restricting Finley to just one.
As the rain finally arrived in the last quarter, Finley found their rhythm, outscoring the Rams four goals to three.
However, it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit, and Deniliquin secured the victory.
For Finley, first-gamer Sam Hurlston and Duncan Clarke were standout performers, showing great promise and resilience.
On the Deniliquin side, Sam Willoughby and Angus Durnan were major contributors, playing pivotal roles in their team's success.
Final score: Finley 9.4 (58) lost to Deniliquin 16.10 (106).
Goals: Paul Massingham, Nick Burns, Matt Jackson, Lachy Webb, Jesse McDonald, Lachy Hawkins, Fraser Hawkins, Sam Hurlston.
Best players: Duncan Clarke, Sam Hurlston, Spencer Hawkins, Paul Massingham, Jordan Daniel, Jesse McDonald.
Awards: Duncan Clarke, Sam Hurlston, Lachy Hawkins, Paul Massingham, Jordan Daniel.
Reserves:
In what was a shocking day for footy, the Finley reserves rose to the occasion and delivered a gutsy win by three points.
Will Doolan was immense through the midfield, setting the tone early with his relentless pressure and tackling.
Mitch Hawkins continued his strong form, dominating in the ruck and once again being named among the best.
Nathan Brown stood tall in the second half when the game was on the line, showing great composure and leadership.
Up forward, Bubba Kennedy was dangerous all day, finishing with three goals and providing a key target, leading from the front.
Lachy Kerr had a strong impact around the contest, using his strength and smarts on the ball.
A big shout-out to the Everingham trio - Josh, Noah, and Matt - who all slotted in seamlessly and made a real difference.
Final scores: Finley 7.3 (45) def Deniliquin 6.6 (42).
Goals: James Kennedy 3, Kade Pyle 2, Nathan Brown, Josh Everingham.
Best players: Will Doolan, Nathan Brown, Lachy Kerr, Mitchell Hawkins, Matt Everingham, Cam Isedale.
Awards: Will Doolan, Nathan Brown, Lachy Kerr, Mitchell Hawkins, Matt Everingham.
Under-17s:
The thirds, against Deniliquin, were keen to see how much improvement they had made against the first opponent they had played for the second time this season.
With the inclusion of boarding school boys home for the long weekend, the Cats were confident they could give a really good account of themselves.
In windy, cold conditions, they had a good start to the game, with Harry Daniel kicking a nice running goal into a strong breeze.
In the middle two quarters, the Cats continued to move the ball forward at every opportunity through ruckman Jackson Tooke and midfielders Sam Hurlston, Blake Vidler and Harry Daniel.
The backline played tight as a collective with Ryan Bauer, Jeremy Doolan, Matt Dilullo and Tom White working well together.
One game wonder Issac Thorburn provided a great focal point at centre half forward kicking two goals.
At three quarter time the Cats trailed by only 10 points and loaded up the forward line going for the win.
They tried extremely hard to hit the scoreboard but to the Rams credit, the Cats couldn’t quite get the momentum to translate to goals.
The Deni side kicked a few late goals to blow the score out but it was a pleasing performance by the very young Finley side.
First year players Max Knight and Thomas Marshall also showed promising signs throughout the game.
Final score: Finley 3.6 (24) lost to Deniliquin 9.3 (57).
Goals: Isaac Thorburn 2, Harry Daniel.
Best players: Sam Hurlston, Harry Daniel, Jackson Tooke, Isaac Thorburn, Ryan Bauer, Tom Marshall.
Awards: Isaac Thorburn, Sam Hurlston, Tom Marshall, Max Knight, Ryan Bauer.
Under-14s:
The young Cats faced arch-rivals Deniliquin, in what shaped up to be a cold and wet contest.
They anticipated a tough encounter against one of the premiership favourites, and with six players unavailable fielded a young and relatively inexperienced side.
Despite the challenges, the players stood up and showed great character, each playing their role with determination and resilience.
There were many positives to take from the performance.
Riley Gatty led by example, putting his body on the line with relentless tackling.
Tommy Bain impressed in a new role down back, showing strong defensive instincts, while his brother Mitch Bain had a notable impact in the second half, using his physicality to great effect.
Samuel Hay, Judd Clarke, Lachie Marshall, Angus Urquhart and Joel Fitzell also stepped up admirably, all contributing with effort and commitment throughout the match.
While the result didn’t go the Cats’ way, the performance provided plenty of encouragement as they continue to build and develop as a team.
Final score: Finley 0.0 (0) lost to Deniliquin 17.17 (119).
Best players: Riley Gatty, Thomas Bain, Mitchell Bain, Judd Clarke, Lachy Urquhart, Joel Fitzell.
Awards: Riley Gatty, Thomas Bain, Mitchell Bain, Judd Clarke, Lachy Urquhart, Joel Fitzell.
There were no games in under 12s or under 10s.
8°C