By David Ball
With the recent flooding in Yarra Glen causing concerns in accessing the Yarra Glen ground, the Round 14 match was relocated to Seville where the River Pigs took on the Blues in the TAC towards zero road safety round.
The game started in cold and wet conditions on a surface that was in excellent condition despite the heavy and consistent rain.
The first quarter was an even contest, with Yarra Glen answering Seville’s early goal and only a late goal for the Blues saw them 12 points up at quarter time. Yarra Glen scored the first goal of the second quarter but was unable to add to this as Seville piled on six unanswered goals.
Seville were able to find loose players as the weather improved whilst the River Pigs turned the ball over, frequently missing targets as they went forward.
A couple of 25 metre penalties resulted in easy goals for Seville as the Yarra Glen defenders showed a lack of discipline as they questioned free kick decisions.
Seville went into half time with a lead of 45 points.
The second half was much the same as the first, Yarra Glen were competitive in the contest but once Seville won the ball they were able to share the ball and find loose targets whereas
the River Pigs were rushing kicks and finding the opposition.
They did put together some good passages of play and had Jimmy Marks as a leading forward creating some scoring opportunities.
Seville scored six goals in each of the third and fourth quarters while Yarra Glen added two in each to finally go down, 7.6 to 22.13.
Best players for Yarra Glen were: Sam Wood, Tom Sullivan, Josh Hawkins, Chris Beattie, Jim Marks and Marcus Kikidoplous.
Goalkickers. Josh Hawkins 2, Sam Woods 2, Jim Marks, Tom Sullivan and Marcus Kikidopolous.
As has been the case on many occasions this season, the Yarra Glen reserves came up against a higher placed opponent with a raft of last minute changes to the team.
It was cold and very wet at the first bounce.
The River Pigs were hard at it early and for the first 10 minutes kept Seville goalless.
The Blues managed to kick three quick goals late in the quarter to be 21 points ahead at quarter time.
While the River Pigs weren’t able to score a goal for the game, they did defend well at times and kept a younger and quicker opposition to 15 goals for the game.
Maf Laloulu showed great improvement in his first year of playing Aussie Rules and defenders Matt McKenzie and Lachlan Hanna repelled many of the Blue’s forward moves.
It was a credit to Yarra Glen that they continue to field a full team despite a long list of injuries and unavailabilities.
They never gave up and battled hard against superior opponents.
The Final score was Yarra Glen 0.2 to Seville 15.9.
Bets Players: Braedyn Crombie, Maf Laloulu, Lachlan Hanna, Matt McKenzie, Josh Dick and Ben Johnson.
In A grade netball Yarra Glen came away from their journey to Yea with a comprehensive win.
From the first quarter it was evident Yarra Glen would be dominating this game, and a credit to the team was that no matter what combinations were on the court, the high level of skill was never diminished.
A welcome return from injury for Megan Galetti, as well as Kelsey Eslick continuing to fit seamlessly into this side were positives.
Casey Collins showed in a best on court performance that she will be a valuable asset come finals time.
A grade eventual winners 87-22.
In B grade Yarra Glen faced Yea who had beaten them early in the season.
Once again they encountered a very physical and competitive Yea team.
Yarra Glen responded with poise and strength, answering the challenges with good netball and a positive attitude.
Ellie Estcourt continues to dominate the defensive goal circle in tandem with Jasmin Wood who competed brilliantly all game.
Ellen Keitley and Abby Goodwin were just as efficient in the attacking end and Prue Morse was incredible in centre all game, defensively and offensively.
B grade ran away winners 42-33.
The undefeated C Grade team took on Yea away, in a game where they dominated and had a really strong defensive performance that Yea just couldn’t overcome.
With Michele Young and Tammie Milbourne causing absolute chaos in defence generating many turnovers with their relentless pressure.
Yarra Glen demonstrated a perfect combination of physical and mental strength in a very physical contest. In a solid team effort, all players worked together seamlessly to achieve a convincing win with the end result being 33-12.
Yarra Glen D Grade dominated their game against Yea from the start, jumping out to a 10-0 lead by quarter time.
They continued the defensive pressure that saw the scores at 25-3 by the last break.
Yea never gave up and as Yarra Glen relaxed in the last, Yea were able to limit the damage with Yarra Glen winning 29 to 6.
Best players were Sarah Matthews, Annabelle Forsyth and Maddie Oultram.
Next week Yarra Glen hosts Seville, with all teams facing massive challenges against the powerful Blues.
