CAVENDISH took on South West District Football Netball League (SWDFNL) ladder leader, Coleraine, on its own game on Saturday and came away with a stunning eight-point victory away from home.

On a beautiful winter day that had a big crowd at Silvester Oval for the game of the week, the sun shone brightly on the visitors, as the Bloods came out in the first term full of running.

Typically it’s Coleraine that get away to the fast start in games, but the Maroons appeared to be not on song, as the ball was cleared from the middle to the Cavendish forward line where Sam Gibson dominated with four majors in the opening quarter.

It was the Cavendish midfield players who did the damage for Gibson to capitalize on, as they continually won the ball from stoppages around the ground.

That first stanza saw the visitors pile on five goals before Coleraine put its first on the board, but the home side started to get the flow of the game again and by the siren they were two goals down with the crowd a buzz at the way the visitors attacked the ball.

Coleraine fought back in the second term to briefly take the lead and it looked as if the Maroons would go on with it and take control of the game with Harry Armstrong leading the way down back to repel the Cavendish forays into the forward line.

The Cavendish players didn’t panic, as they remained focused on the job at hand and took a one-goal lead into the half time break, despite not posting a major for the second term.

Coleraine normally come out in the third quarter and take its game into a higher gear, but it was Cavendish that came out full of running with its ball handling of the highest standard.

Sam Gibson gave his team a huge lift as he soared above the pack in the forward pocket to take one of the marks of the season and then calmly stepped up and slotted his fifth goal from a very tight angle.

Yet again the home side came back and at the last change the scores were tied and it would come down to which team wanted the victory more.

Thomas brought his boys into the huddle for the last time and looked to keep the side on the same level they had been throughout the match despite all players starting to show the effects of the thrilling contest.

The last term was as tight as the rest with neither side willing to let the match slip, but the Bloods grabbed the opportunities better than their hosts and they came away with an eight-point victory when the final siren sounded.

Christopher Quinn was best on ground, but Gibson was a close second with Sean Nippress, Jonathon Coghlan, Will Baulch and Lachlan Seed all playing vital roles for their team.

For Coleraine Sam Tooley, Zach Soawyer, Robert Mackinnon, Will Slattery, Tom Fischer and James Povey played with their usual intensity, but the team fell just short of its expectations.

Bloods coach, Clinton Thomas said it was a team effort to collect the win.

 “The boys have a really good understanding of the brand of football that we want to play and we're very fortunate to have some great leaders amongst the group,” he said.

“Throughout the season, Coleraine has set the standard with a consistently hard approach and have also seen good rewards with some great targets up forward.

“That being said, we were confident that we'd be able to match them in the midfield, but the intent was to nullify their forward targets somewhat and back our boys in to win the 'shoot-out'.

   “The half time message was really quite simple in that we just wanted to reinforce our game plan and the style of footy we want to play.

“From there, it's really just a case of stepping back and letting the leaders do their thing.”

The team got reminders throughout the game to stick to their structures and plans, and it paid off with the upset win.

“The key message at the third quarter break was to continue playing our own game as that allowed us to exert our presence and influence the game as we know it works and to understand that in each quarter of footy, there is generally one or two defining moments,” Thomas said.

“It was about making sure at an individual level we're ready to make the most of that moment when it arrives.”

Despite the great performance from the Bloods, they dropped to fourth on the ladder on percentage after starting the day in third place, while the Maroons remain way on top.

Tyrendarra d. Westerns

TYRENDARRA small forward, Jordi Withers, posted the greatest number of goals for a match this season, as he destroyed the Westerns back line to kick 15 goals (incidentally he was only one gaol behind the highest number kicked in a match for the whole of the state this weekend).

The Darras lifted their percentage by posting a 34.20 (224) to 1.1 (7) despite not being at full strength and lifted themselves up the ladder by a rung from fourth to third.

Westerns continue to struggle for numbers and the club desperately needs support as it had to forfeit the reserves again this round in a tough day for the club.

Heywood v Dartmoor

LOSSES either side of the Queen’s Birthday long weekend have seen Heywood retain fifth place on the ladder, but the gap to Branxholme-Wallacedale is now only one game when it was three.

The Lions hosted Dartmoor with the visitors playing the home side off the park, as they ran away with the game, 22.11(143) – 6.4 (40).

Christian Howlett commanded the forward line for the Giants, as the champion full forward slotted eight goals to take his tally for the season to 41 and only trails Tyrendarra’s Jordi Withers who has 42.

It was a complete performance from the Giants, as Joseph Franklin was judged best on ground, while Jayden Polaski, Jarrod O’Brien, Liam Robinson, Christian Howlett and Dylan Gull led from the front to post the commanding victory that keeps the Dartmoor team in second place.

The Lions had Nick Johnstone, Jarod Donovan, John Bell, Troy Lovett, Aaron Johnstone and Tim Reid playing well, but the rest of the team was well beaten on the day.

Heathmere v Branxholme-Wallacedale

BRANXHOLME-WALLACEDALE remains in the hunt for a finals spot, as the team reduced the gap to Heywood in fifth place to only one game with a strong performance away from home at Heathmere.

The Saints took control of the game in the second term after the teams shared the honours in the first, as both tried to gain an advantage both on the ground and the scoreboard.

As the game progressed though, the visitors strode away from their hosts, as full forward Kieran Barker posted five goals in another strong performance up front.

  Colby Hammond, Kieran Barker, Samuel Lambevski, Leigh Ewing, Harry Goodman and Ashley Kelly provided the spark for the visitors to take the points and reduce that ladder gap, while Kyle Anson, Jamie West, Cody Driscoll, Luke Driscoll, Cooper Anson and Zac Deane battled hard for the Meres.