Leigh Williams eyes the ball on the run to complete this mark and boot one of his six majors. The Pigeons won by 74 points to sit a game clear on the top of the O&M ladder. Williams also leads the Doug Strang with 48 goals, four ahead of Wangaratta’s Callum Moore.
Photo by
Les_Garbutt
Yarrawonga 7.3, 14.5, 18.10, 21.11.137.
Wodonga Raiders 0.1, 4.4, 7.6, 9.9.63.
Goals: Yarrawonga: Leigh Williams 6, Matt Casey 4, Nick Fothergill 4, Cam Wilson 2, Reid Clarke 1 Dylan Conway 1, Ryan Einsporn 1, Jack Forge 1, Logan Morey 1.
Wodonga Raiders: Cameron Ellis – Yolmen 4, Nick Bracher 3, Bailey Smith 1, Ned Twycross 1.
Best: Yarrawonga: Leigh Williams, Nicholas Fothergill, Mark Whiley, Ryan Bruce, Cameron Wilson, Lach Howe.
Wodonga Raiders: Cameron Ellis-Yolmen, Nelson Bowey, Nick Bracher, Ned Conway, Bradley St John, Tom Bracher.
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Round 13 action saw the Pigeons host the Wodonga Raiders at the JC Lowe Oval on a glorious Saturday afternoon with the Pigeons strong favourites as the sides opposed each other at the opposite ends of the ladder.
In a great sign of depth, the Pigeons had yet another debutant in Tom McKimmie who made his way into the line-up after a string of consistent performances in the Reserves.
The versatile midfielder and former Rennie Best and Fairest acquitted himself brilliantly, finishing the game with 12 impactful possessions in a great first game in the blue and white hoops.
Coach Steve Johnson plauded McKimmie earlier in the week, praising his ‘head down bum up’ attitude towards his football.
The Pigeons could not have begun the game any better, completely overwhelming the Raiders in a scintillating first quarter. A 7 goal to none opening term seemingly put the game to bed in quick fashion.
Nick Fothergill looks to clear the ball out of a contested pack.
Photo by
Les_Garbutt
Nick Fothergill had an enormous first quarter booting three goals himself. Fothergill, who finished the day with four majors, has taken his season total to 29 which now puts him into the top 5 in the Doug Strang Medal race.
Matt Casey enjoyed some free reign inside fifty and was able to have a big impact on the scoreboard, slotting through two first quarter goals.
Through the midfield, Lach Howe, Willie Wheeler, Mark Whiley and Cam Wilson were able to win the ball at will and drive it forward in a number of forward attacks.
In the absence of key midfielders in Harry Wheeler, Brayden Coburn and Michael Gibbons, the Pigeons have still been able to dominate through the middle of the ground which is still a clear strength for the team.
The Raiders were able to show a spirited effort in the second term as they were able to hit the scoreboard with four goals. This quarter was clearly the visitors’ best of the day as they were able to challenge the defence of the Pigeons for portions of the quarter.
The Pigeons refused to take the foot off the pedal however, mirroring their first quarter efforts with another seven goals in the second.
In a magnificent display of forward craft, superstar Leigh Williams proceeded to light up the JC Lowe Oval with five second quarter goals. Yes, that’s right, five in the quarter alone.
New recruit from the VFL Dylan Conway clears the ball under pressure.
Photo by
Les_Garbutt
The key forward has shown over the previous fortnight that he is getting back to some of his best form, which is a scary proposition for opposition teams.
With a lead of ten goals at the main break, the message was clear for the Pigeons. Be ruthless.
To the Raiders credit, they were able to fight hard right until the final siren led by big man Cam Ellis Yolmen. The superstar former Adelaide Crow and Brisbane Lion gave the crowd some quality entertainment with four scintillating goals of his own.
The Pigeons were well served throughout the day from the likes of Ryan Bruce and Logan Morey. The pair are both in some great form with their running capabilities proving to be a real asset to the Pigeons.
The Pigeons ending up big 75-point winners at the JC Lowe Oval however will quickly turn their attention to the Lavington Panthers who have struck form after a strong victory against finals contenders Wodonga Bulldogs.
The Pigeons are focused on heading to Lavington to produce their best football and continue the winning streak.
Stats: Cam Wilson 32, Ryan Bruce 27, Mark Whiley 26, Willie Wheeler 25, Nick Fothergill 23.
Oakfm votes from Yarrawonga v Wodonga Raiders: 5 Cam Wilson, 4 Cam Ellis Yolmen (Raiders), 3 Lach Howe, 2 Nick Fothergill 1 Ryan Bruce.
Oakfm Player of the Year leaderboard
28 Willie Wheeler (Yarra)
26 Isaac Muller (Alb) and Daniel Sharrock (Wang)
24 Sam Murray (Rovers)
23 Cam Ellis Yolmen (Raiders)
22 Angus Baker (Wod).
Reserves
Yarrawonga 20.15.135 def Wodonga Raiders 7.7.49.
The Pigeons Reserves have registered a comfortable 86-point victory over the Wodonga Raiders in pristine conditions at the JC Lowe Oval.
Forced to shuffle the magnets due to a number of changes yet again, the Pigeons were forced to adapt which did not come as smoothly as they would have hoped in the first quarter.
Surprisingly, the Raiders came out with a fierce intent and willingness to compete in the contest against the Pigeons, as both teams hit the scoreboard with three goals each for the quarter.
Things weren't going the way of the home side, especially after the unfortunate injury sustained to key defender Cooper Bennett, who went down with a suspected ACL injury. Thoughts are with Cooper, and the club wish him all the best in recovery.
Jacob Bartlett just manages to get the ball away in the Reserves 86 point win.
Photo by
Les_Garbutt
After a slight rev up from coach Matt Grinter, the Pigeons soon clicked into gear with a six goal to one second quarter.
Dillon Walsh-Hall stood tall, taking a number of strong marks and kicking with deadly accuracy for goal.
Key figures in the Reserves Beau Seymour and Doug Arnold took control of the contest as they began to dominate the centre of the ground.
Stand-in skipper Arnold has been a pivotal figure for the Pigeons for a number of years and he has yet again put together another consistent season to date and will be vital for the Pigeons premierships aspirations moving forward.
Players with senior experience in Jordan O’Dwyer, Max Hemphill and Tim Lawrence all put in solid performances in a bid to win a spot back into the firsts.
The Pigeons now turn their attention to their biggest test of the year to date against the top of the table Lavington Panthers at the Lavington Sports Ground.
Yarrawonga had their chances earlier in the year against the Panthers however failed to run out the game in the end with the Panthers proving to be too strong.
Goals: Dillon Walsh – hall 4, Luke Congram 3, Max Hemphill 3, Beau Seymour 3, Nick Gorman 2, Tim Lawrence 2, Ross Mulquiney 2, Jarryd Hatton 1.
Best: Douglas Arnold, Beau Seymour, Dillon Walsh-hall, Tim Lawrence, Jordan O’Dwyer, Max Hemphill.
Thirds
Yarrawonga 0.0, 0.1, 0.1, 2.2.14.
Wodonga Raiders 5.2, 9.7, 12.15, 15.20.110.
Goals: Yarrawonga: Darby Mullins 2.
Wodonga Raiders: Zac Whitsed 4, Finn Gray 3 Tom Johnson 2, Oliver Robertson 2, George Ingram 1, Declan Ramage, Lincoln Reed 1, Cohen Trujillo 1.
Best: Yarrawonga: Darby Mullins, Oliver Connell, Memphis Bramich, Joseph Lee-Conway, Patrick Waugh, Jack Eales.
Wodonga Raiders: Beau O’Neill, Declan Ramage, Connor Howells, Zac Whitsed, Andrej Clark, Finn Gray.
Pigeons Loft
It was a wonderful winter’s day at the Grove on Saturday hosting the Raiders. Five wins from eight games for the Pigeons was a good result.
However, we were shown a clean pair of heels in the three underage contests.
Particularly, in the Under 17 netball where a strong and athletic team showed all the standard required.
In the senior netball, the three victories were important for ladder positions.
C and B both got to the line well. The A Grade game was a case of swings and roundabouts, a slow start, a good 2nd quarter and then a barnstorming final stanza.
Leslie and Symes once again defending well enough to drag their team over the line.
In the football, the 2nds and 1sts got the job done. Currently the 1st XVIII, 2nd XVIII, A Grade and B Grade sit atop the O&M ladders.
That is great effort from our coaches and players. Hopefully they can all secure double chances in the finals.
There are two main functions coming up. The first on is Saturday, July 22, the club ball at ClubMulwala.
Tickets are still available – reach out to Vicky Long or the club Facebook for a ticket.
On Saturday, August 12 again at the amazing ClubMulwala, the YFNC will host its Sportsmen’s night. Stevie J and Cam Mooney along with Kevin Sheedy and Barry Mitchell with host Des Dowling will provide an evening to remember.
Hit up our social pages or any club member for more details ($1000 per table of ten or $120 per head).
We take this opportunity to thank our major partners: ClubMulwala, Kennedy Builders, Belmores, BETR, Blum, Yarrawonga Holiday Park, Yarrawonga Hotel and Yield Finance for their support.
Pigeon Con’s Raider special: What do you call someone who steals from the West Wodonga library? A tome Raider.
Awards:
Netball Awards: Squires Winery – Kylie Leslie.
Football Awards: Yarrawonga Hotel – Ryan Bruce and Yarrawonga Hotel – Doug Arnold.
YFNC gate raffle
The YFNC are yet to find a winner for Saturday’s gate raffle. If you have the ticket 27602, please contact Ray on 0407 300 793 or Rob on 0408 577 480.
