Yarrawonga Seniors suffered their biggest loss in recent years, undermanned and outplayed by the ladder leaders Lavington.
Senior SCORES
Yarrawonga 0.0 1.3 1.5 7.6 48Lavington 6.4 13.6 19.11 23.13 151
GOALS – Yarrawonga: S. Oswald 3, O. Conway 2, L. Congram 1, B. Coburn 1. Lavington: S. Mannagh 6, M. Pendergast 5, A. Flagg 3, A. Johnson 2, L. Ross 2, J. Kirley 2, M. Brennan 1, L. Garland 1, A. Mackinlay 1.
BEST – Yarrawonga: H. Wheeler, T. McAuley, X. Leslie, B. Seymour, M. Gorman, S. Oswald. Lavington: S. Mannagh, N. Meredith, M. Brennan, S. Curtis, M. Pendergast, J. Kirley.
While Matt Casey (liver) and Ned Mullins (thumb) were casualties from the last game, assistant coach Mark Whiley (hamstring) and Marcus Hargreaves were late withdrawals from the selected side.
There was a buzz in the air at the start, with almost eighty guests attending a luncheon to celebrate the 1959 and 1989 senior premierships, also the 1988 Reserves premiership.
Despite early tackling pressure from the Pigeons, Lavington were full of run and class, leaping to a six-goal lead at the first break.
It wasn’t until the thirteen-minute mark of the second quarter that Luke Congram kicked Yarrawonga’s first major.
Tim McAuley and Harry Wheeler continued their fine seasons with a fierce attack on the football. Matt Gorman and Brayden Coburn busy around stoppages.
Xav Leslie was his ageless self.
Beau Seymour and Scott Oswald battled manfully down back.
Ruckman Dave O’Dwyer was a welcome inclusion, back from an overseas trip to combat Lavington’s tall stocks.
By the last break, the team had only registered one goal.
Injuries to Ronan Pritchard, Matt Tregenza and Jess Koopman meant there was no bench.
Coach Sexton must’ve been pulling out hair by the fistful.
The Pigeons gave a glimmer of hope in the last quarter, outscoring the Panthers.
Scott Oswald was moved for a rare stint forward, saluting with three goals.
Encouraging signs from debutant Owen Conway who kicked two goals.
In the end, while Yarrawonga’s more experienced players held their own, the final margin was just over 100 points.
Reserves
Yarrawonga 7.5.47 defeatedby Lavington 10.13.73
The Yarrawonga Second 18 succumbed to their second successive defeat at the hands of the Lavington Panthers on Saturday.
The Panthers team got off to a quick start with their star onballer Nick Holman, winning a free kick from the opening bounce.
This set a pattern for the start of the game with the Yarrawonga team struggling to get their hands on the ball.
By the quarter time break, Lavington held a four-goal lead.
Cameron Byrne, Kayden Sharp and Harry Meade played strong games in defence under enormous pressure as the ball kept coming in.
Ross Mulquiney, Ned Pendergast, Josh Simm and Kyle Archibald worked tirelessly to try and get the ball into strong attacking positions for Yarrawonga.
Losing captain Chris Wilson to injury in the second quarter hurt the ability of Yarrawonga to create any run from the backline.
Xavier Kennedy stepped into the leadership position in the absence of Chris and tried his best to inspire the team with courageous efforts.
At the end of the day, Yarrawonga were unable to peg back the early lead the Panthers got off to. Having fallen into a slump in form, Yarrawonga will have to fight desperately over the coming weeks to maintain their grip on a double chance.
Goals: Yarrawonga: Marcus McMillan 2, Brad O’Connor 2, Ross Mulquiney 1, Josh Simm 1, Craig Frauenfelder 1. Lavington: L. Hamilton 2, D. Goodwin 2, A. Bennett 2, J. Klemke, H. Singe, T. Keyes, S. Herzich.
Best: Yarrawonga: Ross Mulquiney, Cam Byrne, Xavier Kennedy, Kayden Sharp, Josh Simm, Ned Pendergast. Lavington: H. Singe, A. Bennett, L. Hamilton, M. Robertson, C. Pattinson, J. Oeser.
Thirds
Yarrawonga 22.17.149 def Lavington 1.1.7
Goals: Yarrawonga: N. Pendergast 10, A. Frauenfelder 5, C. Trembath 3, J. Smith, Z. Webster, T. Nyholm, T. Whelan. Lavington: L. O’Connor.
Best: Yarrawonga: J. Smith, T. Whelan, A. Frauenfelder, Z. Webster, J. Studd, J. Meade. Lavington: L. O’Connor, N. Hollard, J. O’’Brien, D. Smith, J. Toner, G. Sowden.