Robe def Hatherleigh
Robe’s 34 -point triumph over Hatherleigh at home in the fourth round of the Mid South East Football League on Saturday together with Mount Burr’s home ground loss to Port MacDonnell means the seaside club is the only undefeated outfit.
On present form, the Roosters are on target to claim their first premiership since 2018.
With the sandy base of the Robe Oval coping well with heavy mid-week downpours, the large crowd was treated to an entertaining match.
One onlooker said there were hard but fair contests and good skills from both sides.
Robe welcomed back Zac Deane, Tom Wachtel, Tom Miller, Sam Huebner and George Dutton into the side while a significant inclusion for Hatherleigh was Darcy Bateman who missed the opening two games because of a significant social commitment.
According to that onlooker, Robe is a well drilled team and the players are committed to follow the structures that new coach Nathan Brown has introduced.
The seasiders took an 18-point lead into quarter time and increased it in the following two terms.
The Eagles ran the game out well to outscore the Roosters in the last.
In a tough day for forwards, the most productive was Hatherleigh’s Sam Telfer with three.
Robe’s round five encounter will be at Glencoe while Hatherleigh hosts Mount Burr.
Kongorong def Glencoe
Well, it may have taken around a month but everything finally fell into place for the home team at Kongorong as it lowered the colours of Glencoe by 42 points.
Due to a large influx of players over summer, it has taken a while for the Hawks to play consistent footy.
That solid work-rate paid dividends after quarter time against the Murphies who are becoming the Jekyll and Hyde outfit of the Mid SE in 2023.
The home team managed a meagre five behinds in the opening term and then dominated in the second.
Kongorong played champagne football to slam on 8.5 while conceding only 1.1.
The honours were shared in the second half but the visitors seldom looked like reclaiming the lead.
The Hawks got to sing their victory song for the first time in 2023.
Jarrod Ryan showed his worth to Kongorong in some stand-out games and a total of 30 goals in 2022 but he has stepped up a gear this season.
With the early onset of winter, there have been few big tallies from any forwards and that makes Ryan’s seven goals so noteworthy.
He is now averaging almost five goals per outing and he might become the first Hawk to win the MSEFL goalkicking trophy since John Simkin with 65 goals in 2014.
Glencoe will have the home ground advantage next weekend against undefeated Robe while Kongorong cannot maintain the momentum as it has the bye.
Port MacDonnell def Mount Burr
Port MacDonnell came into the match against undefeated Mount Burr at Mick and Jean Walker Oval as the underdogs but returned to the Bay with a percentage-boosting 95-point win.
By restricting the Mozzies to only three majors and booting 19 themselves, the Demons might well thank themselves for a good job after the final minor round matches on August 28.
It was always going to be a tough ask for the Mozzies as they were without coach Reece Duncan, skipper Josh Fiebig and ruckman Josh Murphy due to injury, while the two talented teenage Bevan brothers were trying their hand with SANFL zone club Glenelg.
Worse was to come for Mount Burr when senior players Nathan Muhovics and Sam Wallis were sidelined mid-game with injury.
The Demons had the first use of the breeze which favoured the changerooms end but could only eke out a 14-point lead.
However, the visitors piled on the goals in the next three terms to add 16 majors while the home side recorded just two.
Newcomer Colby Munro was an obvious choice for best-on-ground with his seven goals.
For the second consecutive week, high-leaping teenage ruckman Calum Sparkes was best for Mount Burr.
Mount Burr takes on its cross-town rivals at Hatherleigh on Saturday while Port MacDonnell is at home to the winless Nangwarry.
Kalangadoo def Nangwarry
As expected, Kalangadoo achieved a win at Nangwarry but the size of the margin (98 points) may have surprised a few.
The Magpies were determined to make sure that ex-premiership coach and ex-premiership skipper Ben Mules had a win to remember.
The eldest of the three Mules brothers played his 200th A Grade game in a black-and-white guernsey.
His long career has also included around 220 senior games and six seasons as captain with SANFL zone club Glenelg.
Kalangadoo players made their intentions known early in the match as they did not concede a goal in the opening term while kicking away to a 44-point lead.
The visitors also clearly won the second and third term,
The Saints gave their supporters some heart in the final term by booting three goals and almost matching the Magpies on the scoreboard.
The football and netball clubs of Nangwarry and Kalangadoo also designated Saturday’s A Grade fixture as a mental health awareness round with a mid-afternoon ceremony on the oval.
As part of this promotion, Kalangadoo’s Ben Gregory was judged best-on-ground.
Nangwarry heads to the seaside to take on in-form Port MacDonnell in round five while Kalangadoo hosts Tantanoola which is coming off the bye.
