Cats victory keeps finals alive

Best: Brad Andison, Jayke Nicholson, Brendan Morris, Samuel Edmondson, James Tanner.

It was a perfect sunny winter’s day in Mitta Mitta, but there was plenty of heat and feeling from the opening bounce as the Cats travelled to take on a Mitta side looking to take a scalp.

For Rutherglen, the equation was simple, a win was essential to keep their finals dream alive.

The Cats started with plenty of intent but were unable to capitalise on their opportunities, with some early inaccuracy allowing Mitta to stay right in the contest.

The game quickly developed into an arm wrestle, with both sides throwing plenty at each other.

It was Brad Andison who helped turn the momentum Rutherglen’s way, slotting the Cats’ first three goals of the game.

Brad was outstanding all afternoon and finished with a well-deserved Best on Ground performance.

Rutherglen’s defence was under pressure for much of the day.

Jayke Nicholson, Sam Edmondson and Brendan Morris stood tall, repeatedly nullifying Mitta’s forward thrusts and providing the platform for the Cats to grind their way to victory.

Sam Edmondson also came close to producing the highlight of the day, launching himself at a big speccy that unfortunately didn’t quite stick.

The attempt alone was enough to get the crowd talking.

The Cats showed plenty of grit to grind out an important win on the road. It’s never an easy task travelling to Mitta and coming away with the four points, making the victory all the more valuable.

With just one round remaining, the Cats remain firmly in the finals hunt. Rutherglen now needs to get the job done against Thurgoona in the final round and will need a few results to go their way to keep the season alive.

Awards: Rutherglen Golf Club award — Brad Andison; EDC Electrical award — Sam Edmondson; Rutherglen Pizza award — Brendan Morris; Howlong Shearing award — Jayke Nicholson.

Reserves

Cats 7.14 56 def Mitta 8.5 53

Rutherglen 2nds secure thrilling 3-point win

Goals: Charlie James 2; Lenny Hill, Daniel Ryland, Jordan Rhodes, Lincoln Barnes, Laiton Hetherington 1

Best: Baxter Lane-Gee, Charles James, Bennett Thomas, Archer Colvin, Flynn Verhulst, Ryan Clohessy.

What a finish! The Rutherglen 2nds have secured a hard-fought 56–53 victory over Mitta United in a game that went right down to the wire.

The Cats started slowly, trailing by 3 points at quarter time, before lifting the intensity in the second term to take a 5-point lead into half time.

Mitta came out firing after the main break and took control in the third, heading into the final quarter with a 12-point advantage, but the boys refused to give in.

A huge final-quarter fightback saw Rutherglen claw their way back into the contest, with Laiton Hetherington stepping up when it mattered most, slotting the winning goal with just one minute remaining to put the Cats in front.

From there, it was all about composure and defending the lead, and the boys got the job done.

A fantastic display of never-say-die football, belief and team effort.

And what a moment from Laiton to seal it with just a minute on the clock.

Under 17s

Cats 8.7 55 def by Mitta 10.6 66

Rutherglen Cats fall short against mighty Mitta Mountain Men

Goals: Flynn Verhulst 3; Hugo Poole 2; Logan Poole, Bryce Maloney, Brayden McInnes 1

Best: Ryan Barkley, Jax Ramsey, Flynn Verhulst, Phoenix Wight, Logan Morley, Logan Poole.

The Under 17 Rutherglen Cats made the long trip to Mitta Mitta to face the Mighty Mitta Mountain Men, a higher-placed team on the ladder.

The Cats started slowly as they adjusted to the slippery conditions on the ground.

Jax Ramsey played a crucial role in the ruck, tapping down to the midfield, which included Logan and Hugo Poole, as well as Logan Morley and Flynn Verhulst.

Despite the slow start, the Cats managed to take a two-point lead at quarter time, thanks to goals from Hugo Poole and Brayden McInnes.

However, the second quarter saw the Mountain Men prove too strong, and despite another goal from Hugo Poole and strong drive from Phoenix Wight, Rutherglen faced a 16-point deficit at the main break.

The third quarter was a relatively even contest, with goals from Logan Poole and Bryce Maloney helping to close the gap by only one point.

The backline, featuring strong performances from Ryan Barkley, Jaylen Cracknell and Arthur Morris, worked hard to repel Mitta's advances.

In the final quarter, Flynn Verhulst turned up the pressure with three important goals, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit.

The final margin was an 11-point loss for Rutherglen, with the score reading Rutherglen 8.7 (55) to Mitta Mitta 10.6 (66).

With only one more game left for the season we would love to see all supporters come down to Barkly Park for our last game against the undefeated Thurgoona.

It would be great to get around the team in what will prove to be a tough match up at home.

Awards: Parker Pies Award - Ryan Barkley; Rutherglen Pizza Award - Jax Ramsey; Dinky Di Electrical Award - Flynn Verhulst.

Under 14s

Cats 10.9 69 def Mitta 0.1 1

Goals: Codie Johnson-Wood 5; Patrick Colman 3; Noah Cracknell, Benjamin Walsh 1

Best: Noah Cracknell, Seve Cottam, Patrick Colman, Samuel Lewis, Zac Macumber, James Wall.

This week the Cats travelled to Mitta to take on the Mountain men on their home turf.

With the team coming off a good performance the previous week they were looking to continue their good form.

They didn’t disappoint, with skilful ball movement and handballing to teammates in a better position a feature and finishing the quarter with four goals and only one behind.

In the second quarter the young Cats took control of the game and were relentless in attack, but despite many forward entries were once again inaccurate in front of goal.

The remainder of the game would see them continue in the same vein.

With the half-back line repelling any potential forward entry Mitta could throw at them, the Cats eventually ran out comfortable winners in an impressive team performance.

Codie J Wood continued with his good form finishing with five goals and Patrick Colman once again dangerous up forward booting three.

Awards: Slope’s award - Seve Cottam; Wood Family award - Noah Cracknell; Glenn Family award - James Wall; Parker Pies award - Sammy Lewis; Rutherglen Pizza award - Zac Macumber; DN Electrical award - Patrick Colman; J & M Steel Erection - Codie J Wood.

Under 12s

Cats 0.2 2 def by Mitta 6.4 40

It was a tough morning at the office this week at Mitta.

The Mountain Men got off to a great start, being first to the ball and having much better use of their disposals.

The Cats did have some opportunities in front of the big sticks but weren’t able to capitalise on their chances.

The young Cats weathered the storm and fought it out to the end, but Mitta were too strong and far too big on the day.

They will look ahead to their last home game of the year against the doggies at Barkly Park.

Awards: Club Corowa Award – Kaylen M; North East Marine Award – Flynn B; Lawler Transport Award – Will S; Coaches Award – Nash J; Dinky Di Electrical Award – Eden V; Nick & Lucy Brown Award – Lenny G.

Netball

A Grade

Cats 25 def by Mitta 81

The average age on court for Rutherglen on the weekend was just 18.6 years.

For a team so young, the girls held themselves well and fought it out until the final siren, adapting well to the changes made and new players in the side.

Milly stepped up from under 17s and played arguably some of her best netball to date, owning the GA position for a half.

Pia was reliable as always and came flying across the court for multiple spoil attempts.

Issy ran a solid game in C and had some beautiful feeds into the goal ring.

The club also thanks Nova from B Grade, and Faith from under 17s, for filling on the day.

Awards: Milly Morris - RFNC $ Award; Pia Taylor – Hadar Homes Award; Issy Saunders – Coaches Award.

B Grade

Cats 36 def by Mitta 51

Goals: Abbie Hetherington 21; Kara Lowen 15

The Cats started strongly and held the lead until half time.

Unfortunately, they were outrun in the second half by a stronger side, with the last quarter marred by injuries from the defensive end who worked tirelessly all day.

Abbie was moving well in the goal ring, and Eden performed well in all three midcourt positions.

The club also thanks Cadie who stepped up again from under 17s to continue building her experience in senior netball.

Awards: Abbie Hetherington - RFNC $ Award; Eden Kirk – Adroit Insurance Award.

C Grade

Cats 52 def Mitta 43

Goals: Melissa Pinn 42; Chelsie McLeod 10

What a fantastic win! The team played with great energy, teamwork and determination.

Chelsie was outstanding in goals, making some crucial saves and helping to maintain control.

Jackie stepped up brilliantly in midcourt, working hard and linking the team together.

A special thank you goes to Matilda for stepping up into C grade from under 17s.

Awards: Chelsie McLeod - RFNC $ Award; Jackie Kay – Movere Pilates Award.

Under 17s

Cats 23 def by Mitta 54

Goals: Holly O’Donoghue 12; Milligan Morris 11

The Cats went into this game knowing it would be a challenge, with Mitta sitting third on the ladder.

The team worked well to adjust to the opposition, including stepping around the player to pass without long arms in the way, and continuing to lead rather than stopping before receiving the pass.

Molly in WD kept tight on her player, Holly in GS was patient and dictated the play in attack, and Matilda in GD was pivotal in transition from defence to attack.

The club thanks Audrey and Chelsea for stepping up from under 15s to play; and congratulations four Under 17s girls, Faith, Milly, Cadie, and Matilda, for being asked to play across all senior grades over the weekend.

The juniors are always determined to improve and never shy of an opportunity to learn in a higher grade.

Awards: Molly Colman – Dinky Di Electrical Award; Holly O’Donoghue – Adroit Insurance Award; Matilda Colwell - Hadar Homes Award.

Under 15s

Cats 39 def Mitta 33

Goals: Skye Lush 28; Audrey Maloney 11

The last time these two sides met, the Cats went down by 20 goals, so this game was a wonderful demonstration of just how far this group has come.

The players maintained their focus and discipline, stuck to the game plan and, most importantly, everyone stepped up and played their role to deliver a strong four-quarter performance.

It was a fabulous team effort and undoubtedly one of their best games of the season.

Picking the awards was certainly a challenge, with every player who took the court showing tremendous determination, effort and commitment to the team.

Be proud of how far you have come this season, Cats; this was an awesome effort and a performance to be proud of.

Awards: Shylah Pinn – Parker Pies Award; Skye Lush – Hadar Homes Award; Leah Ellis – Spark Award.

Under 13s

Cats 12 def by Mitta 28

Goals: Olivia Livingstone 7; Poppy Williams, Isla Verhulst 2; Freya Kay

It was an early morning start for the girls, but unfortunately Mitta were the stronger team on the day.

The Cats worked hard and never gave up, continuing to support each other and compete right through to the final whistle, with plenty of positives to take away.

Awards: Freya Kay – Tom and Tam Renshaw Award; Sienna McFarlane– Kay Family Award; Poppy Williams – Daisy Cow Award.

Under 11s

The Under 11 girls turned up to play today.

They applied great pressure all down the court picking up lots of loose balls. Goalies were on fire today.

Awards: Club Corowa Award - Polly Simpson; Hadar Homes Award - Zoe Hollier; Field Family Award - Millie Nicholson.

The Cats’ junior teams continue to shine, showing fantastic team spirit, effort and growth each week.