Bears get the cream

In what was almost perfect conditions for footy and in front of a large crowd the Bears started well. They had the majority of the play with Cheek, Ferguson and Johns all finding plenty of the ball.

Up forward Saunders was proving to be a headache for the Kats defence and was starting to find some form. The second term saw the visitors really start to stretch the Kats.

When Saunders kicked his 5th for the half it looked as though the Bears were about to break the game wide open.

With 5 minutes remaining before half time the burly forward was involved in a fierce one on one contest.

Both players had eyes for the ball however the Katandra player came off second best and Saunders was sent off for 15 minutes.

This changed the complexion of the game and allowed the Kats to hold up the Bears momentum.

They scored a late goal, and the margin was 4 goals at the long break. The last half was more of the same, with the Bears extending their lead throughout.

Katandra did enough to stay within striking distance for most of the contest, however Tungamah had all of the answers and eventually ran out 48-point winners 98 to 50.

Josh Cheek played his best game for the club on a wing. Sam Ferguson led from the front and his hard running and precise skills were a highlight.

Cam Carling was everywhere on his wing and continually drove the ball forward. Kayne Wilson and Ash Saunders were both lively up forward with the latter bagging 7 majors.

Gus Ford led a solid defence, with Will Sharp, Wally Thomson and Jye Holcombe all working well together to hold the Kats to 7 majors.

Liam Williams was also clever in the forward half and set up many scoring opportunities.

Overall, it was the Bears best performance of the season with their ball movement and teamwork evident throughout the day.

Yarrawonga Toyota Player of the Year: 3 J Cheek, 2 S Ferguson, 1 A Saunders.

Awards: Mulwala Water Ski Club - W Sharp, Mulwala Bakery - L Williams, Ricky D’s - B Beaton.

Reserves

Katandra 5.7.37 def by Tungamah 9.8.62.

Well, what a difference a week in reserves football can make. Last week the Reserves struggled to fill a team, this week positions were more sort after than a Taylor Swift concert ticket.

As the business end of the season is approached and players start rolling back in, it was good for the seniors to send a few the Reserves way instead of them fleecing any talent the Reserves may have been hiding like a uni student searching through the back of the couch for enough coins to buy a cask of goon.

The trio relished in the earlier time slot, and it was great to finally be able to demonstrate what a difference training actually makes.

Al Riley put himself on the EPA watch list for serving up that many single use disposals. While Mitch Adkins was provided plenty of options and Lidgerwood turned the clock back sinking big shots.

It’s good to see that even this far into the season no one gives the Reserves credit for being able to recognise talent.

Replace No 9 with No 10 and insert the same conversation we were having with the crowd in round 1. “Yeah that’s Francis Kavanagh, yes he is really good, yeah I noticed the second and third efforts as well, we’d love to have him come finals as well.”

Teflon Bourke treated himself to sometime in the middle, slipping through would be tackles with ease and providing plenty of forward entries.

While Patches from wish (Goldman) was back to his best and damaging.

Goals: T. Lidgerwood 4, D. Payne 2, M. Adkins, J. Henderson, J. Baker.

Best: F. Kavanagh, T. Lidgerwood, M. Adkins, J. Kelly, J. Baker, M. Bourke.

Thirds

Katandra 11.12.78 def Tungamah 3.4.22.

The Bears made the journey out to Katandra to take on the second placed Kats. With a few players away on school camp the Thirds called on the Under 14 boys to help out.

The game was fast paced with some big tackles laid as the ball travelled from end to end. The back line saw plenty of the ball but could hold their heads high as they intercepted many of Katandra’s forward thrusts.

The on ballers were also very good but the Bears found goals hard to come by. The score did not reflect how well the Bears played with many positives to come out of the match.

Goals: Jake Walker, Brae Grant and Billy Doyle 1.

Best: M. Hughes, J. Arnold, J. Costigan, J. Houston, B. Grant, J. McQualter-Whyte.

Awards: Coaches award - Mick Hughes, Beaton Family award - Jayden Arnold, Beaton Family award - Jack Costigan, Hemphill Family award - Jackson Houston, McQualter/Whyte Family award - Brae Grant, Credit Union award - Dan O’Brien & Tungamah General Store award - Jack McQualter/Whyte.

Fourths

Katandra 1.4.10 def by Tungamah 10.14.74.

The boys showed significant improvement from their previous game and set the tone early by scoring the first two goals at Kats home ground.

Right from the start, the ball movement between the Bears players was great, showcasing their strong chemistry and teamwork.

This allowed them to create scoring opportunities and take control of the game. Notably, there were some impressive, contested marks made by the Tungamah players throughout the match, demonstrating their skill and determination.

As the game progressed, the field became congested, making it challenging for both teams to find open space.

Recognizing this, both sides decided to utilize their benches and give every player a chance to get involved in the action.

The Bears maintained their composure and continued to dominate, never letting go of their lead.

Goals: S Bainikoro 3, B Doyle 2, J Bamford 2, C Payne 1, S Kirchen 1, L Wren 1.

Best: S. Bainikoro, C. Payne, R. Johnson, E. Cummins, L. Wren, J. Bamford.

Awards: S Bainikoro - TFNC Award, C Payne - Crusty Loaf, R Johnson - $10 Seniors Award, E Cummins - $10 Arnold Award.