THE Hamilton Kangaroos were fighting for a grand final spot on the weekend with one team winning through, one team losing but remaining alive, and others dropping out of the premiership race

Football

HAMILTON Kangaroos flexed their muscles on the rest of the competition after they defeated Koroit in Hampden Football Netball League (HFNL) Under-18.5 football second semi-final at Friendly Societies Park on Saturday, 11.4 (70) to 4.8 (32).

The Kangaroos’ winning streak now stands at 14, not having lost since round six and are now one victory away from premiership glory, which would be the first HFNL football premiership in the club’s history.

The Joeys were under pressure in the first quarter, as the Koroit players made a quick start to the game by kicking the first two majors, but the Kangaroos regained composure to bag four goals from the halfway point of the term to seize control on the ground and the score board.

“They kicked the first two goals of the game and had me a little worried, but the boys took control of the game after the 10-minute mark and posted four goals in the final half of the term,” Hamilton Kangaroos coach, Luke Uebergang said

“Our defence was good all game, but after we took control, we were able to drop players behind the ball and cover their avenues to goal.

“Our defence was incredible, and we laid more than 100 tackles for the game.

“I thought the 93 tackles we laid last week was amazing, but to top that with more than 100 was a credit to how our players applied the pressure to Koroit.

“I wasn’t sure of the win until about the last 10 minutes of the last quarter, such is the ability of the Koroit team to come back.”

The Kangaroos’ kicking for goal was a feature of their play and the practice the team put into this vital part of their game plan during the week showed with only four behinds kicked for the game.

“I was more thrilled with the ball delivery into our forwards, which was clean and gave the forwards great angles from which to kick from.

“We entered our forward 50 on 31 occasions and held 12 marks which I’m very happy with.

“Ethan Knight was the best player on the ground, and he gave us great drive through the midfield, while Hamish Cook at full forward booted four goals and had a much better game than the previous week when he was a little down on form.

“Jack Austin as a small forward laid seven tackles which put huge pressure on their backline players and kept the ball in our forward 50 while Noah Hermann had 16 disposals but also laid 19 tackles.”

Ethan Knight was best on ground with Deacon White, Hamish Cook, Charlie Alexander, William Hunter and Noah Herrmann all showing great form at the right time of the season.

NORTH Warrnambool Eagles has staved off the threat posed by South Warrnambool at Cobden on Sunday with a stoic eight-point victory, 7.2 (44) to 5.6 (36).

 In a match where defence dominated the Eagles refused to allow the Roosters the upper hand despite falling behind at half-time by three-points.

The Eagles came out after the long break to kick four goals in the third term to take a grip on the match, but they then held off the Roosters in the last stanza to claim a place in Saturday’s preliminary final at Gardens Oval.

Seniors

KOROIT has booked its spot in the Hampden Football Netball League Senior Grand Final for the eighth consecutive season, as the Saints kept a determined North Warrnambool Eagles at bay at to win, 8.12 (60) to 8.4 (52).

The Saints led at every change of end, and it was only poor kicking for goal which kept the margin as close as it was.

SOUTH Warrnambool accounted for Portland in the first semi-final at Cobden on Sunday, 16.17 (113) to 3.3 (21).

It was a step too far for the Tigers, but a goalless first half was the difference between the teams, as the Roosters took total control of the game.

Reserves

NORTH Warrnambool Eagles booked their place in the reserves grand final with a 22-point victory against South Warrnambool, 11.6 (72) to 7.8 (50).

The Eagles led at every change but had to stave off the Roosters after a second quarter which saw them boot five goals to trail by a point at the long break.

The Roosters couldn’t replicate that form though in the second half, only adding another two goals for the game while the Eagles posted six.

KOROIT kept its premiership dream alive with a 14-point victory against the Bombers on Sunday, 6.11 (47) to 4.9 (33).

The Saints will not have been happy with their kicking for goal, but kept Cobden at bay to book a preliminary final spot against South Warrnambool.

Netball

HAMILTON Kangaroos is one win away from a place in the Hampden Football Netball League Division 1 Netball Grand Final after going down to minor premier, Koroit, in the second semi-final on Saturday, 36-30.

The Kangaroos were buoyant going into the game at Friendly Societies Park after finishing in second spot on the ladder and having despatched Port Fairy in the first week of the finals.

Knowing what to expect from the Saints, the Kangaroos started well in the first quarter as both teams worked desperately hard in defence with the term ending with Koroit in front by a goal when the siren sounded.

The second quarter saw the Kangaroos grab the lead and hang onto it through to the long break and a single goal separated the two teams once again.

The Saints took control in the third term with a display of netball that doubled their half time score and by the siren, they were seven goals ahead.

 Despite regaining lost momentum to win the last quarter, the gap on the scoreboard was a bridge too far for the Kangaroos and they went down by six goals.

Bailey Ryan, Mel Robertson and Rhianne Lewis were the pick of the Kangaroos players, but the entire team proved it can match the Koroit team and they will be ready to lift their overall performance the next time these teams meet.

“We hadn’t played Koroit for 12 weeks and we had been soundly beaten by them during the year, but we all played well, but can also play better, more consistent netball,” Kangaroos coach, Nat O’Dea said.

“(We know) we can all play better and I can coach better, but we know we can match it with Koroit and are hungry to get the opportunity to have a rematch in the grand final.”

PORT Fairy and Portland had a titanic struggle at Cobden on Saturday in the first semi-final with the Seagulls gaining a break of two goals by the sounding of the siren to end the game, 36-34.

Open

SOUTH Warrnambool edged out Cobden in the second semi-final on Saturday, 43-42, while Koroit ended North Warrnambool’s season on Sunday in a high scoring game, 52-45.

Division 2

PORT Fairy booked its place in the grand final with a victory against Koroit on Saturday, 39-35, while South Warrnambool was bundled out of the finals in straight sets by Cobden, 32-36, despite finishing second on the ladder.

Division 3

PORT Fairy has two teams booked in so far for grand final day after the Division 3 team joined the Division 2 team with a victory against South Warrnambool on Saturday, 30-25, while the Hamilton Kangaroos finished their season after going down 23-25 to Koroit.

17-and-Under

HAMILTON Kangaroos has been defeated by Camperdown to end its 2022 season, 43-24, while Koroit was far too strong for Cobden, 44-28.

15-and-Under

Koroit defeated South Warrnambool, 27-22, to advance straight to the grand final, while Cobden was too strong for Camperdown, 31-22.

13-and-Under

KOROIT has advanced to the grand final with a 27-22 victory against South Warrnambool, while North Warrnambool Eagles ended Cobden’s season with a 27-13 win.