Cam Wilson takes possession just ahead of former Melbourne Demon Neville Jetta.
Yarrawonga 3.1, 7.2, 11.8, 12.12.84
Corowa Rutherglen 1.0, 1.1, 2.4, 4.9.33
Goalkickers: Leigh Williams 5, Matthew Casey 3, Perry Lewis-Smith 2, Bailey Frauenfelder, Nicholas Irvine.
Best: Matt Holgate, Ryan Einsporn, Ned Pendergast, Leigh Williams, Perry Lewis-Smith, Cam Wilson.
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Yarrawonga will enter their first bye of the year with an unbeaten record, with the victory over Corowa-Rutherglen seeing them notch up their fifth win – taking their winning streak to 16-straight, dating back to Round 8 in June last year.
The Pigeons were forced to make three big changes to their line-up after the thrilling victory over the Wangaratta the week prior. Ryan Bruce was ruled out through injury whilst ruckman Lach Howe and onballer Willie Wheeler were unavailable for the weekend. The trio made way for Lochie Forge, Mitch Parker and the return of Jess Koopman for his first game back in the senior line-up, much to the delight of the Pigeon family.
Bailey Frauenfelder ensured the Pigeons began the game on the right note, with a sizzling goal on the run to open proceedings. Frauenfelder then followed up his work with a precision ball that found Matt Casey on the lead who marked strongly on an acute angle. Casey with poise, nailed the goal from the set shot. The Pigeons’ third goal of the quarter came through Perry Lewis-Smith who pounced on a loose ball to give his team a 12-point buffer at the first change. Stand-in captain Harry Wheeler was electric in the opening quarter, racking up 12 disposals to set the tone for his team.
The Pigeons opened up the Roos in the second quarter, kicking away with four unanswered goals to set up a 37-point lead at half time in a strong display. Big men in Matt Casey and Leigh Williams began to take control of proceedings up forward, contributing to three of the four goals with small forward Will Robinson joining in the party also. The Pigeons were being well served by the likes of Frauenfelder, Pendergast and Cam Wilson who all produced strong first halves.
The third term was another strong one for Yarrawonga, outscoring Corowa-Rutherglen three goals to one. Williams, Lewis-Smith and Ben Coghill all hit the scoreboard as the Pigeons remained relentless and determined to put the game completely out of reach of the Roos.
As the game wore on, a pair of unsung players in Ryan Einsporn and Matt Holgate were both playing outstanding games and their efforts certainly were noticed and highlighted by the coaching staff post-game. Holgate in the absence of Lach Howe was dominant, with his follow up work from his initial ruck craft being a big highlight. Einpsorn was back to his running best, this time playing a crucial role in the back six in the absence of Bruce. Einsporn's willingness to get over and support his teammates once the ball had hit ground level caught the eye of many.
Matt Holgate competes in the ruck, where his performance earned him best afield honours.
Credit must be given to Corowa-Rutherglen as they fought out the game strongly right until the final siren, outscoring the Pigeons in the final term narrowly.
Yarrawonga are looking forward to having the week off and will appreciate regaining some key personnel over the coming weeks as they continue their charge throughout the season.
Jess Koopman competes in the air.
Reserves
Yarrawonga Reserves 7.0, 13.3, 18.11, 18.11.119
Corowa-Rutherglen 1.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.3.15
Major goalkickers: Hunter Frauenfelder 4, Matthew Nieuwenhout 4, Matthew Grinter 2, Xavier Leslie 2, Cory Pearn 2.
Best: Brock McCabe, Reid Clarke, Matthew Grinter, Cory Pearn, Mac Pendergast, Matt McCabe.
The Reserves have secured their first premiership points of the season with a comprehensive 104-point victory over Corowa-Rutherglen at John Foord Oval on Sunday afternoon.
The Pigeons had yet again a host of changes to their previous week's team which challenged Wangaratta all the way until the end. This week, the Pigeons were fortunate enough to secure the services of Gareth Oughton, Andrew Simmons and Ben Douglass who are all playing a key role in the Yarrawonga Masters team. Playing their first games for the season were Hudson Gillies, Lachie Lehmann, Matt Nieuwenhout and Judd Hooper whilst Will Connell returned for his second game for the Pigeons. Club legend Xavier Leslie also pulled on the boots yet again, much to the delight of supporters.
Yarrawonga started hot with seven goals in the first quarter and never looked back. Brock McCabe was brilliant in a best on ground performance booting four goals. McCabe continues to improve in each and every game he plays.
Hunter Frauenfelder had plenty of the football and proved to be a danger up forward also booting four of his own. Veteran Matt Grinter was dominant through the middle, racking up a plethora of possessions and setting up a number of forward attacks.
Down back it was captain Cory Pearn who was everywhere for the Pigeons whilst Mac Pendergast was resolute in his attack on the ball, winning plenty of one-on-one battles throughout the day.
Yarrawonga ran out big winners on a beautiful Sunday afternoon for football. The Pigeons will rest and reset with a bye and look forward to facing Wodonga Raiders on home soil the following week.
Best: Xavier Mitchell, Zac Forge, Samuel Bigger, Charlie Lappin, Warrick Campbell, Xavier Fox.
Under 16s
Yarrawonga 4.7.31 lost to Corowa-Rutherglen 20.10.130
Another tough game this week coming up against a top aged, stylish Corowa side. The first quarter saw great pressure across the field, but Corowa got off to a flying start. Our second and third quarters proved much better with a couple of goals rewarding our efforts. Archie Jacques was again a standout in defence, with a number of spoils and marks and showed a very steady head.
Mitch Tyson displayed great speed and agility during the match and came away with one major for the day. Connor McCarty ran hard all game and was a leader, kicking two goals. His movement and talk around the ground was motivating for all players. Kacey Magro rounded out the goals kicked for the day, the boys walking away with some key areas for improvement and focused goals for the coming weeks.
Under 14s
Yarrawonga 3.1.19 lost to Corowa-Rutherglen 10.11.71
Another perfect day for football saw the U14s head to Wahgunyah to take on Corowa in a home fixture for them. The U14s took on the challenge with some impressive tackling and a competitive attitude and represented themselves but did, however, fall short in what was an ever-improving effort from our boys. The top-age boys particularly were thrown around in different positions throughout the game in an attempt to get some control of the opposition, as they were finding a lot of space and had plenty of run.
Jack Ibrahim and Dec Reeves were both outstanding in their effort and attack on the contest, both have impact across the middle and halfback as well as changing in the ruck and giving their best effort. Jackson Maxted was another who keeps on improving, providing a steady contest down back under, at times, enormous pressure. A special mention must go to Ted Brear who once again played above his weight range and was strong in the contest all day, alongside the reliable Billy Stevens and Darcy Skehan you knew when the ball was in their area we could win the footy and get it our advantage.
The young Pigeons travelled to Wahgunyah to play Corowa and the game started with a tight arm-wrestle for control. Plenty of play back and forth saw an evenly matched first quarter. The young Pigeons went into the quarter time break with a narrow one-point lead. The second quarter continued to be an arm-wrestle but the young Pigeons began to take control. The inability to convert a few chances saw them add four points to the score while keeping Corowa scoreless.
After the halftime break the Pigeons came out breathing fire and the tackling pressure increased. The coaches commented that Todd looked like a meerkat hanging onto a hippo as he wrapped up a larger Corowa foe in a tight tackle and refused to let go. The run and attack increased as a result of the increased pressure. The accuracy in front of goals improved as well as the boys piled on four goals to one.
The final quarter continued with the same pressure and the boys ran out victors, piling on another three goals while keeping Corowa scoreless. Judd Long ran all day and created lots of play to set up the Yarrawonga attack. Billy Vagg read the play all game chopping off numerous Corowa attacks with his strong marking. Eamon Pickering, Parker Cowan, Benji Wollington and Oscar Leary rounded out the best players.
