THERE were two pivotal results on the weekend in round 11 of the South West District Football League which will play a huge role in shaping up how the finals play out.

Coleraine d Westerns

IN an enthralling battle Westerns completely turned the game on its head in the second half, almost doing enough to take the points.

But ultimately, they left the resurgence a little too late and ended up going down to reigning premiers Coleraine, 9.14 (68) to 12.7 (79) at Silvester Oval.

The Roos were completely outclassed in the first half, carrying a 36-point deficit into the half time break.

According to Western’s coach Winis Imbi there were some glaring areas for improvement.

“After a first-class effort against Dartmoor we started this week’s game with significantly less intent, our defensive pressure in particular lacked the intensity required at senior footy level.” Imbi said.

To the credit of Westerns, the intensity lifted in the second half, led by their young captain Noah Knight.

“Noah got the players together during the break and made it clear that there was plenty of opportunity to improve.

The players rallied around that philosophy, and improve they did… the intensity increased, we started to control the footy, in the end we finished with 45 inside 50s to Coleraine’s 33.

“In the last quarter we won all the clearances, but in the end, it was our lack of polish that let us down. The players need to realise that goalkicking efficiency will not improve unless they take the time to practice this at training and in their own time,” Imbi said.

The next few weeks will be telling for Westerns, with a substantial number of players to return into the senior side and a new signing from Portland in Zac Stuchbery coming into the fold.

This will create selection headaches in terms of their player points but will add some top end talent to the team coming into September.

Cavendish d Dartmoor

IN arguably the match of the round Cavendish were able to overcome a determined Dartmoor 9.2 (56) to 7.5 (47) at Cavendish Recreation Reserve.

In a see sawing affair it was the polish and more precise use of the ball by Cavendish that eventually saw them wrestle the win in the final quarter.

In the end it came down to ball use throughout the forward line, as Dartmoor had slightly more scoring shots however Cavendish made the most of their opportunities converting nine goals from their eleven scoring shots in windy conditions.

Dartmoor’s coach Jayden Polaski did everything in his power to drive his side to victory scoring three goals in a determined performance.

It was not a day for the key forwards with Carracher (Cavendish) and Monaghan (Dartmoor) both finding scoring difficult, in part due to the challenging conditions and the defensive efforts of both sides.

For the victors coach Sam Gibson created headaches wherever he played kicking two majors himself and strategically being utilised in the midfield at various stages of the match.

Newcomer Jason Hawker was named his sides best player for Cavendish being a major contributor in the home stretch contributing significantly to the one-point advantage at three quarter time moving to a nine-point victory at the final siren.

Tyrendarra d Branxholme-Wallacedale

IN a clinical display Tyrendarra dominated the round 11 clash from start to finish against Branxholme-Wallacedale.

After a close game in their first meeting of the season Tyrendarra came away with a victory 25.7 (156) to 2.6 (18).

As the scores indicate the speed and skill throughout the game made the mission for the Tyrendarra forwards that much easier. Forward entries were directed to the most dangerous places in the forward line and the likes of Withers (nine goals), and Baker (six goals) made the most of their opportunities.

The conversion in front of goal started from the first bounce with most forward entries resulting in majors.

While the Saints were able to get their fair share of the footy inside their forward 50, the conversion by Tyrendarra set the two teams apart.

Foe Branxholme-Wallacedale coach Paul Clever there were some challenges coming into this round and some positives to come out of the contest.

“It was always going to be a challenging day for us with 14 senior players unavailable, but the growth of the club still allowed us to field two teams without players having to double up.

“This gave some players an opportunity to play seniors today, Jack Khawli was one of those, he stood out with 10 tackles over the course of the match.” Cleaver explained.

For the victors returning ruckman James Vickers proved his worth alongside solid performances from Hayden Dyke and Tom Haylock.

Heywood d Heathmere

HEYWOOD made the most of the challenges confronting Heathmere to come away with a comfortable win at Heywood with an 83-point victory, 15.17.107 to Heathmere’s 3.6.24.

In challenging conditions, a strong wind made scoring difficult, while Heywood would have come away satisfied scoring fifteen goals conversion in front of goal was a challenge.

 Nathan Hardingham and Dane Hendrick dominated in the air both kicking three goals and contributing further up field. Mark Troeth and Leigh Malseed both used their strength in the tricky conditions to be solid contributors in the win.

To their credit the Heathmere backline did not allow the score to blow out and were able to keep the evergreen Leon Davis scoreless, a task most sides in the league have failed to do in 2024.