GSFL 2023: Bulls clinch tense final-quarter win, Tigers end Sharks’ run on top & bolstered Lions too strong

Mt Barker snatched a thrilling three-point win against North Albany at Collingwood Park in round nine on Saturday, strengthening the Bulls finals hopes. Both sides battled hard in a fiery encounter and scores were level at half-time and three-quarter-time before two goals to Camball McMahon in the last term sealed the Bulls’ fourth win of 2023. The visitors withstood a late scare as Kangas’ Graham Ross and Lucas Ravenhill booted goals in the dying stages, but the Bulls held firm to emerge to a memorable 7.11 (53) to 7.8 (50) win. McMahon and Zach Jackson had the first two goals of the contest before Ross and Mitch Woods responded for the home side. Travis Conn ensured the Kangas went into the first break narrowly ahead, receiving a handpass from Ross before slotting a clever check side snap on the run. Darcy Wallinger bombed a running goal from 50m out early in the second term and Zach Jackson had his second shortly after. But Kangas’ Kobi Keen found the chest of Ross, who made no mistake and both sides were all square at the main break. Tempers boiled over between the two sides and Bulls inclusion Brandon Ugle received a yellow card in the third term before Angus McKercher put through his first of the game. Dylan Gowdie answered back, intercepting a miss-kick inside the Kangas defensive 50 and he split the middle from 40m with scores once again level going into the last term. McMahon put through his second goal in the final quarter and when he snagged a third from a set shot 40m out, the Bulls were well in control with a game-high lead of 15 points. However, Ross responded at the other end, roosting a long-range effort to cut the lead back to nine. Things were heating up with both sides quarrelling in the final stages and Harry Smith earned himself a free kick off the ball in the centre-square. Smith sent it into the Kangas attacking 50 where Ravenhill gathered and snapped truly to make it a three point game with only minutes left. With all the momentum on their side, it looked as though the Kangas would snatch a come from behind win but time was their enemy and the visitors held on for a hard-fought four points. Darcy Wallinger was outstanding defensively for the Bulls, intercepting entries at half-back and setting his team up the other way. The young defender had plenty of support from McMahon (three goals), Lee Pavlovich and Gowdie. Kangas’ hard-nosed defender Smith battled superbly with Zach Jackson all afternoon, co-captain Nick Barrow was brilliant defensively while Matt Orzel and Nathan Crudeli also shone. The result leaves their side 14 points adrift of the fourth-placed Bulls with six games left in the regular season. Railways snatched top spot after an impressive 32-point win against Albany, ending the Sharks eight-game winning streak in the process. The Sharks were undefeated across the opening eight rounds but they were outpointed by the reigning premiers at Retravision Stadium on Satuday. Despite the Sharks being on top in several key areas in the first term, the Tigers had the first two goals in the top of the table contest through Haydn Sproxton and Dylan Schorer. Direct ball movement in the second term proved decisive for the visitors as they kicked four goals to one and opened up a 28-point buffer by half-time. Midfielder Logan Stubber was having a big bearing on proceedings and kicked an important major while the Tigers forward line looked dangerous with key targets Zak Hortin and Sproxton and clever pairing Kane Shephard and Joel Want. Jayden Zilm threaded a terrific snap early in the second half to give the home side just their second major but the Tigers were controlling the midfield and had a firm grip on the game. Hortin and Logan Stubber kicked their second goals of the game and Want added two more as the Tigers skipped out to a game-high 48-point lead. Despite a late third-quarter goal and then the first three majors in the final term, the Sharks never looked threatening once going behind early in the game. Lewis Bosch and Jayden Zilm kicked three goals each but the Sharks fell to their first defeat of the season, 6.9 (45) to 11.11 (77). The Tigers marched to a fifth straight win but this was the most complete performance of their premiership defence. Key ball winners Logan Stubber and Jayden Scott dominant in the midfield and Want finished with 3.1 in another telling display up front. Craig Frost was sound in defence and Jaxon Lombardini quelled the influence of Sharks wingman Robbie Lee. The Sharks clearly missed the competition’s leading goal kicker Brett Peake again through injury and their indecisive ball movement in the first three quarters was telling. Kane Pinney was super in the back half and he was well supported by Jack Stevens and Cameron Jones while Bryce Blaszkow worked tirelessly in the middle and youngster Aiden Clark was effective across half-forward. A bolstered Royals made light work of an undermanned Denmark-Walpole outfit to win by 94 points at McLean Park on Saturday. The visitors welcomed back several handy additions, including former South Fremantle player Steven Edwards, in their 16.11 (107) to 2.1 (13) win. The Magpies faced an uphill battle from bouncedown with the destined wooden-spooners only able to field 18 players. Edwards was prolific all day providing trademark run-and-carry off half-back for the Lions, before being afforded the luxury of being rotated forward. Mercurial goal sneak Jayson Ford, who was among the list of inclusions, was dangerous in the forward 50 finishing with a game-high three goals, despite an injury scare in the second quarter. Lorcan McNamara (two goals) and Brandon Elliott (one) also provided constant headaches for Magpie defenders. Ruckman Stephen Beal and rover Corey Ward combined on numerous occasions through the guts to give the Lions the advantage from stoppage. The Magpies toiled all day and showed glimpses of a slow, methodical game style but a lack of polish and cartel was their undoing. Tyler Stone led from the front for the Magpies providing grunt through the engine room and endless lead options for the defenders. The Lions commanded the first quarter but were wasteful in front of goal and it took five attempts before Ford kicked his first major of the game to open the account for the Lions. The cogs began to turn for the visitors in the second quarter, Jaiden Alison rectified his early kicking woes and converted to kick-start a five-goal onslaught while keeping the hosts scoreless to half-time. The third quarter was far more even and the Magpies were able to celebrate their first score when Tyler Crommelin converted his set shot. The home side’s lack of available rotations began to show in the final term, which allowed the Lions to kick seven unanswered majors and put them to the sword. The result gave the Lions a handy 16.15 per cent boost to solidify the third spot on the GSFL ladder, tightening their grip on a finals spot.