IF the rest of the South West District Football League wasn’t already on notice that Coleraine is on a mission in 2023, they certainly will be after the Maroons claimed an emphatic 62-point victory over Dartmoor in Dartmoor on Saturday.

The Maroons came out of the gate red-hot on both ends of the ground, booting five first-quarter goals while restricting the Giants to just a single behind to take a 35-point lead into the second term.

The game evened out in the second, with Coleraine adding only five points to their advantage by half time.

Dartmoor looked as though they could be poised for a comeback as they cut the lead to less than five goals, but the Maroons put any notions of such a response to bed with a six-goal to nil final term, with the final score standing at 16.9 (105) to 6.7 (43).

Coleraine senior coach Ryan McClure was very pleased with how his side performed on the day, saying they got an ideal start to the match which set them up for success.

“To start the way we did was huge against a quality side like Dartmoor,” McClure said.

“Our backline held up really well, Sam Tooley had the job on Jordan Murphy and did a terrific job to limit his influence.

“Our success up forward really started with our backline being able to run off their man and create which was huge for us.

“We probably didn’t move the ball as quickly as we would normally like, but I think we still did a great job getting it forward and our forwards had a great day out.”

McClure was equally impressed with how his side responded to the Giants throwing down the gauntlet in the third term, saying it came down to them finding the same intensity as they’d had in the first half.

“We probably didn’t have the work rate that we needed to in the third term as compared to the first half, and Dartmoor came out ready to bring it to us.

“We came back out in that fourth quarter and took care of business which was fantastic.”

He added that this would be a significant win for his side to draw upon over the remainder of the season, adding it would be a big psychological boost.

“For some guys this was the first time they’d ever won in Dartmoor, so it was great to get the points on this occasion,” he said.

“It’s no secret that they’ve been the benchmark of the competition for a number of years, so I think this was a win we needed especially with the context of last season’s semi-final and prelim final.”

Marcus Rhook, Charles Youngman, Tooley, Patrick Sinnott, Adam Ward and Samuel Youngman were best for the victors, while Kaleb Bowd, Lachlan Polaski, Kyle Carlin, Nathan Bell, Rhys Malseed and Dylan Gull fought hard for the Giants.

Darras win a nail-biter

Tyrendarra came away with a close two-point win over Heywood in their clash at Tyrendarra Recreation Reserve on Saturday, in see-sawing affair whose final score was 8.7 (55) to 7.11 (53).

The Darras had the edge in the early-going, taking at four-goal advantage into the second half.

However, a four goals to nil third term saw the Lions take the lead heading into the final term, before the Darras kicked a pair of goals which were just enough to get them over the line.

Jordi Withers booted five for the Darras, but it was Josh Atwell, Dylan Jennings, Mitch Arnold, Brett Uebergang, Patty Haylock and Dylan Murray who were named in their best, while Evan Bott, Jack Fadersen, Nyawi Moore, Josh Ferguson, Brad Martin and Jarod Donovan were strongest for Heywood.

Saints down Westerns

Branxholme-Wallacedale placed themselves firmly in the early-season finals conversation with a strong win over Westerns, 21.14 (140) to 8.6 (54).

The game was close in the early-going, with the Saints only able to open up a two-point advantage in the first quarter.

However, they were able to open things up in the second term, kicking six goals to none to take a commanding lead which they then increased over the remaining two quarters.

Colby Hammond, Kieran Barker, Samuel Lambevski, Brandon Disson, Jacob Cook and Cameron Pepper were best for the Saints, while Westerns got strong performances from Noah Knight, Ash Hill, Lachie Warburton, Liam Nelson, Frank Makin and Rhys Carlyon.

Cavendish dominate Heathmere

Cavendish were merciless in their win over Heathmere, with the final score in their match being 35.22 (232) to 0.4 (4).

The game was never in doubt from the get-go, with the Bloods sharing the spoils between them, as Jonathon Coghlan, James Huf and skipper Sam Gibson kicked five each, while Brodi Carracher and Andrew O’Connor added four apiece.

Coghlan, Carracher, Oliver Dinges, Scott Addinsall, Ben Packman and Harrison Rees were best for the victors, while Riley Doodt, Jed Barclay, Ethan Watt, James Grislis and Matthew Payne played well for the Meres.