TOM McKINNON – SWDFL – Senior football
THE Dartmoor Giants hosted Cavendish in round two of the South West District Football League. With both Reserves team coming off wins in round one, it was a hotly contested ball from the first bounce.
In trying conditions with the heat taking its toll, it was all Cavendish’s ball in the first quarter with the away side making the most of their opportunities in front of goal, while Dartmoor’s use of the ball left a lot to be desired.
The second quarter saw the home side find their feet and tidy up their disposals around the ground and remain consistent with Cavendish’s scoring attempts with both sides scoring equally but leaving Dartmoor still trailing by 27 points at the main break.
The third quarter saw a reinvigorated Dartmoor stem the flow of the Blood’s play with young recruit, Jake McInnes, impressing in his first game for the club racking up a number of possessions and gaining important clearances.
The backline of Blake and Conan Devereux, Pierce Kelly and Lachie Murphy stifled Cavendish’s attempts at goal, only conceding two minor scores for the quarter while Dartmoor was able to have the majority of the ball and made the most of it, albeit with some errant kicking on goal bringing the deficit back to 11 points at three-quarter-time.
Cavendish was able to put the pressure on kicking the first goal of the last with Jordi Obrien in the midfield, Hartley Russell down back and Ryan Wilks forward proving pivotal, with the Bloods running away 19-point victors.
Seniors
JUST like the Reserves grade, both teams walked into Saturday’s game with wins in round one and from the first siren to the last this game was fiercely competitive.
Dartmoor started well providing first use of the ball to their forwards in what was sometimes a scrappy game of football to watch.
Dartmoor was able to prevail through the heat of the day and finish the first quarter with a 15-point lead.
An injury to recruit Ethan Murdoch in a marking contest midway through the second quarter saw him leave the field and not return, which definitely hampered Dartmoor’s efforts in the midfield and forward line, with a two-goal to five quarter in the Bloods’ favour seeing scores tied at half time.
The third quarter saw the wrestle continue with Cavendish brothers Pete, Jon and Lee Coughlan along with fast midfielder Brodhi Carracher receive plenty of the ball and capitalise on their possessions.
In turn Kaleb Bowd, Joey Franklin, Nathan Bell, Mark Cowland and Connor Stephens all made an impact on the game from half back to half forward, with Dartmoor able to kick three goals in the third to go into the final quarter four points up.
The final term saw the game see-saw back and forth, with a one-point ball game separating the two sides for quite some time before Cavendish answered with two late goals in the dying moments of the game, finishing the day 13-point victors.
