Mount Burr and Kongorong faced off in the third round of Mid South Eastern football.
As both sides headed into the clash winless, an important four points were on the line to help set up the season going forward.
With both sides missing players due to the “spicy cough”, it gave the players stepping up the opportunity to give the coach something to think about at the selection table.
The Hawks’ first half of football was great with link up and run across the ground and delivery into a very potent forward line where the likes of Cameron Sandercock anyd goal sneak Jarred Ryan were looming.
Leading from the front was Sandercock, who the made the most of the opportunities for Kongorong bagging nine majors while Ryan kicked one.
Both forwards were presenting well and made the most of it, but the midfield dropped off the pressure and let the Mozzies back into the game.
But the inaccurate kicking of the Burr let the Hawks off and gave them a 11-point lead at the major break.
The Burr came out a different side after the break with a game plan that took it right up to the visitors who had no answer.
The Mozzies midfield completely tore the game apart with some good attack on the ball and put the majors on the board.
Jack Gregory was the shining light for Mount Burr booting nine majors and had good support from Sam Wallis, Josh Fiebig, Rhys Gamble and Wil Bowering.
In a goal-scoring shootout, Gregory’s nine-goal haul prevailed over Sandercock and the Hawks by 50 points.
Elliot Modra, Brayden Leicester, Jake Whitty and Tyson Modra were all serviceable for the Hawks.
Mount Burr will now plan to take on Port MacDonnell at home in a change of ground due to the Bayside ground not being ready.
For the Hawks they will play host to a new look Nangwarry side.
Kalangadoo d Port MacDonnell
Although it did not have match-of-the-day billing, there was still much more on offer than bragging rights when Kalangadoo hosted Port MacDonnell in a replay of the 2021 grand final.
The Magpies collected a significant percentage boost after restricting the Demons to a mere five goals and winning by 91 points in the near-perfect playing conditions.
The result went some measure to erasing the pain of losing the last match of last season.
Less than half of the 2021 grand final team took to the field for the seasiders but the outcome was nonetheless disappointing for backers of the red and the blue.
On the other hand, there were many positive signs for Kalangadoo.
They hit the scoreboard seven times without a miss in the opening term and by game’s end, nine Magpies had registered at least one goal.
Kalangadoo has the bye in round four while Port MacDonnell is on the road again with the rescheduled match now at Mount Burr.
Glencoe d Nangwarry
One poor quarter cost home team Nangwarry from defeating Glencoe and ending a losing streak dating back to 2014.
The Murphies added 5.3 with the wind in the third term while conceding just 2.2 to go to the final change with a buffer of 23 points.
The Saints had the lion’s share of the play in the last stanza but could not make any significant inroads on the scoreboard and went down by only 15 points.
Although Glencoe had four players missing due to a wedding, Nangwarry showed it has certainly lost the easy beats tag.
The club has secured some quality recruits, it has retained its long-held hard tackling ethos and is moving the ball well.
The Murphies took home the Phil Muhovics Memorial Trophy while the Phil Muhovics Memorial Medal was won by Glencoe newcomer Henry Smith.
The match was witnessed by one of the largest minor round crowds in memory at the Nangwarry Oval.
Numbers were boosted by the reunion of the 1997 Nangwarry premiership team as well as the first-time use of the new licensed clubrooms.
Nangwarry heads to Kongorong on Saturday when the only two winless teams in the competition face off.
The Hawks have designated this fixture as its Anzac tribute with the best-on-ground receiving the prestigious Private John Rogers memorial medal.
He was a local national serviceman who died of his wounds in Vietnam in 1968.
Hatherleigh d Robe
Hatherleigh maintained both its unbeaten status and its position at the head of the premiership table following a successful trip to Robe on Saturday when the Mid South East Football League resumed from its customary Easter break.
The Eagles banked some percentage after the 44-point win while the Roosters earned kudos for successfully staging an Anzac eve commemoration in association with the annual Robe 2 Recovery defence force veterans support weekend.
Given the ideal weather and holiday long weekend timing, a massive crowd was in attendance.
The visitors were not overawed by the pre-match Anzac ceremonies and began strongly.
The Eagles took a 20-point lead into the first change and held sway for the remaining three terms.
The home club could not counter key forward Jake Wight nor best-on-ground medallist Jed Telfer.
This medal is produced by a Robe jeweller and is donated each year by David Miller who is a Vietnam War veteran, past Robe Football Club president and one-time MSEFL executive member.
For the second consecutive match, Robe’s best player was on-baller Dr Sam Clements.
Hatherleigh returns home in round four to host cross town rivals Tantanoola who will be fresh from a three-week break while Robe heads to Glencoe.
