GSFL 2023: Reigning premiers make a statement to snap Albany’s eight-game winning streak and move to top spot

Reigning premiers Railways produced their most complete performance of 2023, ending Albany’s winning run with a comfortable 32-point victory on Saturday. The Tigers made it five wins on the trot and moved to top spot on the ladder ahead of a home game against bottom team Denmark-Walpole this Sunday. The Sharks were undefeated across the opening eight rounds of the Great Southern Football League but they were outpointed by a determined Tigers outfit at Retravision Stadium. 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). 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 win came minus defender Mitch Green, ruckman Josh Duffield and mid-season recruit Ray Daniels but Tigers coach Mark Bayliss was impressed with his players skill in slippery conditions. “Our pressure around the ball, they beat us last time at that but today we beat them at it,” he said. “We were a bit more effective going forward early and we switched the ball good today, considering the weather and conditions. “They’ve beaten us once, we’ve beaten them once and it is a game of footy on percentages. . . they’ve got a few to come back in like we have.” Bayliss confirmed that young key forward Clay Michael would miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, picked up while playing at the Great Southern Colts Carnival. 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. Peake has missed the past two matches with an ankle injury. 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. Sharks coach Jamie Ramm lamented their ball use early in the game. “They were too good today, they outplayed us all day and we made scoreboard look a bit better than probably what the game was at the end,” Ramm said. “We didn’t use ball well enough going forward. “You always hope to learn something from a win or a loss. . . we’ve lost a game now.” Ramm said finishing top two and securing finals double chance remained the focus for his side. “We definitely need to keep winning games against the sides below us or we don’t deserve to be there,” he said. “Top two is an aim. “We have set our season up with some wins so got to be careful now and get things right and we won’t rush it (Peake coming back).”