Hatherleigh Eagles flew high in front of a large and supportive home crowd in round 3 of the Limestone Coast Women’s under 16 competition, taking the points over a determined Tigers side.

The battle was hard-fought from the first ball up and it was Hatherleigh’s midfield that got the first possession with a kick forward.

The defensive line of the Tigers repelled the initial surge only to have Hatherleigh charge forward again two minutes later and score.

The Tigers looked a bit flat-footed after coming off a bye last week and found it challenging to keep up with the slick Hatherleigh side.

It was the up-and-about Eagles which continued to share the ball around, but late in the first half Hatherleigh took the foot off the pedal a bit, letting the Tigers run loose and move the ball into attack.

However, the Eagles’ back-line stood tall to repel the charge.

The Tigers worked hard to hold the league’s pacesetters to just one goal in the quarter, while not managing to get a score on the board with Hatherleigh entering the first break just eight points ahead of the Tigers.

There was plenty of contested ball in the second quarter and some big bumps from both teams.

There were plenty of forays the length of the field, however neither side could convert on its push forward with the only score for the quarter a solitary point for the Eagles.

Despite not being able to score, the Tigers were determined to take the fight to the ladder leaders and only trailed at the main break by nine points.

At the start of the third term the Tigers found another gear which unsettled its opposition, forcing the Eagles to play some unfamiliar footy.

The young Tigers managed to find the goals while playing a good brand of football, holding Hatherleigh goalless and went to the last change trailing by a solitary point.

The final term was swinging the way of the Tigers, but the Eagles players had other ideas and spread their wings to fly above the opposition.

In a determined push the Eagles scored five goals to secure the game by 31 points.

The stand-out Hatherleigh performers included Sebella Coghlan, Amber Chester, Chloe and Hannah Bellinger and Tahnee Grosser, while Claire Mitchell, Alannah Pratt, Eadie Mustart, Grace Altschwager and Stella Davis stood amongst the best for the Tigers.

In the match between the Kybybolite Tigers and the Demons, the Demons’ intentions were made clear right from the opening whistle.

The side opened the game determined to attack and play on every time the ball was in hand, which unsettled the Tigers.

Despite this, Kybybolite refused to back down and played a similar style of football, but was stopped in its tracks by an incredibly determined Demons back-line.

The Demons used the wide-open spaces of the Hatherleigh ground to transfer the ball wide and bring it back in to attack the goals.

The Demons dominated the first term, scoring two goals and keeping Kybybolite goalless, resulting in a handy 13-point lead at the first change.

The second quarter was much the same as the first for the Demons, where plaayers were on fire and had the football zinging around all parts of the ground, while keeping Kybybolite incredibly quiet when the side went forward to try and score.

The Kybybolite Tigers did have some good patches of play when they started to use the ball and found teammates, but at the half-time siren the Demons still maintained a comfortable 19-point lead.

Both teams were back in action after the main break and the Demons pressure again created turnovers from Kybybolite, but they countered which resulted in the Tigers finding form to give the side a glimmer of hope heading into the second half of the match.

But it was not the case as the Demons controlled the midfield and swung momentum back its way with a solid attack.

Despite the Demons only managing to add seven points to its tally, the side importantly kept Kybybolite from adding to the scoreboard.

At the last change it was the Demons that held onto a 26-point lead as the Tigers looked for their key players to step up to the plate.

The last term went all the Demons’ way despite Kybybolite managing to play a better brand of football but the Demons had other ideas, scoring one goal for the quarter while Kybybolite managed to put the score on the board from a kick off the ground which resulted in only a behind.

As the siren sounded it was all the Demons by 32 points, with Kybybolite finding no answers but walking away from the game with added experience.

Better players for Kybybolite were Chloe Copping, Zara East, Cleo Adams, Ruby Sambell and Summer Batchelor while for the Demons Lana Shepherd, Jarrah Altschwager, Scarlett Creek and Ella Guest were pivotal in their sides win.