Pigeons win in Easter thriller

GOALS: Yarrawonga: Mark Whiley 3, Nick Fothergill, Brayden Coburn, Ryan Einsporn, Harry Wheeler, Ryan Bruce, Tim Lawrence, Jackson Meade, Brandon Symes, Zec Cuppens.

Lavington: Aidan Cook 3, William Glanvill 2, Darcy Smith 2, Aidan Johnson 1, Jake O’Brien 1, Corby Robertson 1.

BEST: Yarrawonga: Leigh Masters, Harrison Wheeler, Lach Howe, Mark Whiley, Jye Cross, Nicholas Fothergill.

Lavington: William Glanvill, Aidan Cook, Adam Butler, Tom Hargreave, Benjamin Ashley-Cooper, Tim Hanna.

A jam-packed Lonsdale Reserve crowd were treated to a nail-biting finish with two late goals from Yarrawonga coach Mark Whiley proving the difference in the Easter Sunday blockbuster against Lavington.

The opening term saw the Pigeons dominating possession and inside 50’s however with the scoring shots reaching double figures, the Pigeons could only register 3 majors in the first quarter to lead by 16 points.

Mr Consistent Harry Wheeler led the charge with his fierce attack on the footy whilst Leigh Masters was patrolling the defensive end with his usual class and poise.

Masters' influence on the game across all four quarters was significant with 30 disposals.

He was often desperate in defence and halted many of the Panther's forward attacks all day.

The second and third quarters were well and truly owned by the Panthers as they were able to find holes in the Pigeon defence and hit the scoreboard, at times with ease. Some costly basic skill errors and decision making from the Pigeons needed to be rectified to get back into the contest.

With key outs in Willie Wheeler and injured duo Leigh Williams and Mick Gibbons, the Pigeons depth was always going to be tested and the spotlight was on the next crop of players to stand up.

Brayden Coburn played a key role in wrestling back the momentum with 19 disposals whilst recruit Jordan O’Dwyer stood tall in big moments and impressed the Pigeons faithful gathering 25 possessions of his own.

Trailing by 15 points mid-way through the final term, it was Coburn's tackling pressure that began the Pigeon surge.

This was followed up by Zec Cuppens' relentless forward pressure which resulted in a free kick tight in the pocket.

Cuppens' conversion was followed by a lovely ball from Bailey Frauenfelder to coach Whiley who kicked truly and all of a sudden, the Pigeons had drawn level with the Panthers.

With dominance from Lach Howe late in the piece out of the ruck, Whiley was provided with another opportunity for goal and saluted, nailing his third goal for the game and giving the Pigeons the lead and sealing the victory.

For the second week in a row, the club has had a great spread of goal kickers and the coaches will be hoping for this trend to continue throughout the season.

The Pigeons are now 2-0 heading into their first game at the JC Lowe Oval in 2022 against a strong Myrtleford outfit.

With big names to be included into the side, the next month of football could potentially set the Pigeons up for a great season.

Reserves

Yarrawonga 17.11.113 def Lavington 5.3.33.

A scintillating first term for the Pigeons reserves side put the game to bed early in the Easter clash against Lavington. Nick Gorman, Alex Byrne, Matt Bourke and Jordan O’Brien were all welcome inclusions into the side this week and played fantastic roles in the victory.

In warm conditions, the Pigeons were able to blow the Panthers away with slick ball movement out of the centre, making the most of their forward 50 entries with efficient goal kicking.

The first quarter highlight came from Hayden Cartwright who lit up the Lonsdale Reserve with two long range goals from outside 50.

Xavier Leslie, Reed Bonat, Tyler Bonat and Doug Arnold were all busy getting their hands on the ball whilst Jacob 'Snowy' Adkins and Max Hemphill proved too much to handle for the Panthers defence.

Matt Holgate was also dominant early for the Pigeons with his attack on the football and courage to take the game on.

The theme for the day was team first football and this was evident as the ball was shared around with 10 different goal kickers. This theme was carried out through not just the players but officials as well.

Fantastic club first efforts from Andrew Mott, Dan Wilson, Clint Shoppee, Buzz Brear and Xavier Colvin who all played great roles throughout the day and the club can't thank them enough for their support.

GOALS: Max Hemphill 4, Jacob Adkins 4, Hayden Cartwright 2, Tyler Bonat, Xav Leslie, Reid Clarke, Reed Bonat, Doug Arnold, Matt Holgate, Ben Radford.

BEST: Xavier Leslie, Matthew Holgate, Tyler Bonat, Jacob Adkins, Reed Bonat, Max Hemphill.

Thirds

Yarrawonga 9.10.64 def Lavington 4.5.29.

The Yarrawonga Under 18s have notched up their first victory of the season in fine style against Lavington. In a tight contest for majority of the day it was the Pigeons who came out on top, edging away from the Panthers late in the piece to win by 34 points.

The thirds boys are starting to gel quite nicely together and are beginning to get used to playing together as a team.

Strong contributions from Noah Iddles, Mac Pendergast and skipper Sam Hemphill kept the Pigeons in good shape throughout the course of the game.

A strong return on the scoreboard from Jyda House who booted 4 majors and Connor Phibbs who chipped in with 3 himself was pleasing for coach Frauenfelder.

Jack James and Joe Conway home from boarding school were good contributors and the club thank them for their efforts.

The victory did come at a cost for the Pigeons however with injuries to Jyda House and Dylan Martin and the club wish them all the best with their recovery.

A fantastic win for the Pigeons and a chance now to build some much-needed momentum heading into the clash against an in-form Myrtleford at the JC Lowe Oval.

GOALS: Jyda House 4, Connor Phibbs 3, Griffin Surrey 1, Jack James 1.

BEST: Noah Iddles, Mac Pendergast, Sam Hemphill, Ethan Byrne, Darby Pendergast, Oscar Elliott.