Jerilderie delivered a dominant four-quarter performance to comfortably defeat Blighty by 92 points in their clash at Jerilderie Recreation Reserve on Saturday.
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The home side came out strong and never looked back, piling on scoreboard pressure from the opening bounce.
The pressure and polish from the home side saw them take a commanding 5.3 to one point lead at the first break.
The Demons ramped up the intensity in the second term, slotting another six goals and holding Blighty to just one goal.
By half-time, Jerilderie had more than doubled their lead, heading into the rooms 73 to 7.
Blighty found some brief resistance in the third quarter with a three-goal burst, but Jerilderie’s firepower remained relentless.
Another three goals extended their lead further, finishing the term in front by 70 points, 95 to 25.
The home team didn’t ease off in the final quarter, slamming home five more goals to Blighty’s two.
The final siren confirmed a resounding victory for Jerilderie.
Max Bruton was electric across the half-forward line, consistently providing a dangerous link between midfield and attack.
His work rate and clean hands made him a constant threat, and he was rewarded with two goals and countless involvements in scoring chains.
Kane Hawkins put on another clinic in front of goal, finishing with six majors and stretching his lead atop the goal-kicking tally.
Whether leading into space or swooping on loose balls, Hawkins proved too much for the Blighty backline to contain.
Rory Knight was near unstoppable overhead, pulling down mark after mark across the ground.
Whether intercepting in defence or presenting forward, Knight’s aerial dominance gave Jerilderie repeated opportunities to control the tempo and territory.
Chas Retalick brought his trademark physicality to the contest, throwing his weight around at every opportunity.
While he didn’t quite connect with much more than thin air, the effort and commitment didn’t go unnoticed and kept the crowd entertained.
Meanwhile the Blighty boys came out a little slow out of the gates, possibly due to the bye the week before.
After half-time they showed much more endeavour and fight for the contest, showing that when they play like that they can be competitive with anyone.
Sam Singleton and Jack Charlton’s clearance work stood up in the midfield, while Rusty Milward and Aaron Litchfield were also pivotal for Blighty.
Final score: Jerilderie 19.15 (129) def Blighty 6.1 (37).
Reserves
Jeriliderie started well, with everyone playing their part.
It led to some fantastic goals in the first quarter, and Jerilderie continued to dominate in the second.
Brock Kocks and Corey Curtis were standouts in midfield and halfback, while James Billings had his best game yet in the forward line.
Josh Curtis was, as always, rock-solid in the backline.
The entire Jerilderie team played good football all day, and everyone had an enjoyable game.
For Blighty, it was a tough one, with a few of the usual players missing.
But the boys gave it their all and never stopped fighting.
While Blighty didn’t come away with the win, it was encouraging to see the team stick together and support one another right to the final siren.
There was plenty of heart shown across the ground, and their efforts didn’t go unnoticed.
Best on ground for Blighty went to Ben Crossley, and other standouts were Billy Laws and Dylan Crosby.
The Captain’s Award went to Daniel Charlton.
Final score: Jerilderie 16.13 (109) def Blighty 1.6 (12).
Fourths
Jerilderie were fortunate to field another strong side against Blighty for their last home game of the season.
The Dees went to work early, setting the tone with strong field and scoreboard pressure right from the first bounce.
The whole team were switched on and hungry to make the most of the occasion.
The midfield unit thrived off the back of a dominant three-way ruck rotation, which gave the side first use of the ball throughout the game.
The ability to win clearances and move the ball efficiently into the forward half was a key factor in the result.
Defensively, it was a disciplined performance.
The backline worked as a cohesive unit, closing down space, applying consistent pressure, and refusing to give Blighty any opportunity to gain momentum, keeping them goalless for the match.
Up forward, players were again rotated through the front half, with some of the key defenders stepping up and hitting the scoreboard when moved into attacking roles.
It was fantastic to see the team-first attitude and versatility across the group. Overall, it was another very pleasing result that reflected the continued growth and commitment as a team.
With one round to go, the side carries strong form and confidence into the final home and away clash next week against Tocumwal.
Blighty came out against Jerilderie with fresh legs, after having the bye the week before.
They soon found that they were missing the spark to get the ball into the forward line.
To Jerilderie’s credit, they were able to move the ball with ease, and Blighty weren’t able to stop them.
There were some good signs for Blighty, with Darcy Cleve playing a great game in the forward pocket.
Coming up from the fifths, he is always putting himself in the right position to have a chance at scoring, and to his credit he was able to get the point for the team.
Tom Clohesy was given a job and was able to achieve this role for the day, which was the highlight for coach Tim Brown.
Jack Brown and Logan Andrews were kept busy all day in defence.
They were playing against much taller opponents, but they could handle this well.
Hudson Kelly was trying all day along with Jake Wharton.
The best-on-field on Saturday went to Seth Feuss, who had a quiet first quarter, then was able to get himself into the game.
Jackson Cleve was solid in defence.
Ruby Gordon had a great first half of the game, always putting 100 per cent in.
Lily Petersen was given the Kelly Family Award for again never giving up.
A good week of training and the Redeyes will be ready for the last game of the year.
Final score: Jerilderie 18.14 (122) def Blighty 0.1 (1).
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