Finley were no match for Cobram on Saturday, with the highly fancied Tigers too strong, even though it was a spirited contest.
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The Cats showed plenty of fight in the first half, keeping pace with the home side and trailing by just 26 points at the main break.
However, the second half saw Cobram shift into top gear, unleashing a ruthless attacking display that left Finley struggling to keep up. The Tigers piled on an astonishing 19 goals to just two, running away with a dominant victory.
Despite the tough outing, Finley’s Archie Mason stood tall with a standout performance, while skipper Nik Burns and Dan O’Bryan battled valiantly throughout the day.
For Cobram, Lucas Allan, Tyron Baden and Jackson Trengrove were instrumental in the Tigers’ surge, each playing a key role in the commanding second-half effort.
Final Score: Finley 3.6 (24) lost to Cobram 24.17 (157).
Goals: Levi Webster 1, Beau Lawrence 1, Fraser Hawkins 1.
Best Players: Archie Mason, Nik Burns, Dan O’Bryan, Lachy Webb, Paul Massingham, Lachy Hawkins.
Awards: Archie Mason, Nik Burns, Lachy Webb, Dan O’Bryan, Jesse McDonald.
Reserves
The reserves again showed plenty of effort, but were totally outclassed by the ladder leaders.
It was a special day for Jonty King, who played his 100th club game and celebrated with a standout performance as the Cats’ best player.
Sam Price was outstanding in the back six, tackling hard and spoiling effectively all day. His defensive pressure set the tone for the rest of the group.
Jackson Tooke continued his strong form, along with Jack Iddles and Jeremy Doolan who all backed up after playing in the thirds, which was a huge effort and appreciated by the club.
Jonty Brunt played his best game yet, while Josh Gemmill also stood tall in defence with a strong performance.
Final Score: Finley 0.1 (1) lost to Cobram 21.17 (143).
Best Players: Jonty King, Sam Price, Jackson Tooke, Jack Miley, Jonty Brunt, Josh Gemmill.
Awards: Jonty King, Sam Price, Jackson Tooke, Jonty Brunt, Josh Gemmill.
Under-17s
The thirds came up against the undefeated Tigers severely undermanned due to injury and unavailability, but still showed improvement and great attitude.
With both the co-captains out, the team was led by vice captains Elijah Everingham and Jeremy Doolan, who battled hard all game trying to inspire the very young team.
Sam Hurlston collected plenty of the ball in the midfield and back half of the ground and showed he has a huge future for the club. He also kicked the only goal off a brilliant team effort and constant pressure.
Jackson Tooke rucked all day and also got plenty of the ball distributing to Logan Eldridge, Blake Vidler, James Winn and Jack Iddles.
The defence was under constant pressure but Elijah Everingham, Jeremy Doolan, Tom White and Darcy Sutton never gave in.
The team has another a big task this week at Nathalia but has embraced every game this year.
Final Score: Finley 1.1 (7) lost to Cobram 17.14 (116)
Goals: Sam Hurlston 1
Best Players: Sam Hurlston, Blake Vidler, Darcy Sutton, Elijah Everingham, Tom Marshall, Jack Iddles.
Awards: Sam Hurlston, Darcy Sutton, Elijah Everingham, Tom Marshall, James Winn.
Under-14s
The young Cats played top of the table Tigers, and it was an uphill battle.
With a big hole in defence, Judd Clarke and Lachie Marshall started in the back line, leading the way with their endeavour and working hard to fight back against a dominant Cobram mid and forward line up.
Though Finley had done a solid job of making the Tigers work for their score early, half time saw the top team hit their stride and move the ball cleanly as the field lost its frost. Tackling pressure from Campbell Reynolds and hard contested work and running from Jason Hay showed that Finley were up to the physical challenge.
Despite going down by a large margin, plenty of the boys had a crack and were able to test themselves against best in class opposition.
Noah Brindley pushed himself to take on a big challenge and Elijah Tooke had a year best performance in a new role that showed his improvement this year.
Final Scores: Finley 0.0 (0) lost to Cobram 16.14 (110)
Best Players: Judd Clarke, Campbell Reynolds, Jason Hay, Orlando Orsida, Lachy Marshall, Elijah Tooke.
Awards: Judd Clarke, Campbell Reynolds, Jason Hay, Orlando Orsida, Lachy Marshall, Elijah Tooke.
• Under 12s and Under 10s: No game.
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