Albany hold off strong final-term comeback from North Albany to win second game of new GSFL season

A late six-goal surge from North Albany in the final term wasn’t enough for them to get over the top of Albany as a determined Sharks outfit held on to win by eight points in the Great Southern Football League competition at Collingwood Park on Sunday. It looked like Kangas veteran Graham Ross was shaping to be the hero after three final-quarter goals had the home side in a strong position to score a comeback victory. But Sharks showed great resilience, and two goals from Zac Pearson and a major to veteran Brett Peake in the final stanza were enough to see the defiant Sharks home, 10.19 (79) to 10.11 (71). Sharks coach Jamie Ramm said the result was pleasing despite some wayward kicking on goal. “It was good to get a win and we probably made hard work of it, missed a lot of goals, but they missed a few too — but I thought we played some good footy at times,” he said. “Isaac Baum was really good, and Fraser Eaton and Cameron Jones as well. Also, the backline was really solid.” The Sharks started the first quarter in strong fashion, tackling with high intensity and moving the ball forward well as goals by Pearson and Robbie Lee, and two by Matt Galantino, gave them a 16-point lead. An early injury in the first term to young up-and-coming star Lucas Ravenhill changed the structure of the Kangas’ forward line. Some brilliant run and carry from Kangas’ Jyrin Woods and two quick goals to Ross in the second quarter had the Kangas with their tails up as they trimmed the margin back to 12 points. The Sharks stemmed the flow in the third quarter as they held the Kangas goalless for the entire term as majors to Peake and Galantino seemed to put the game out of reach, opening up a significant 26-point lead at the final change. But the Kangas had other ideas as the home side kicked three of the final four goals of the game, with Ross hitting the scoreboard early, followed by a set shot from Taj Williams that got the Kangas within eight points with less than 10 minutes to play. Shortly afterwards, Woods took a chest mark 45m out from goal but failed to convert the chance. A cool and collected Pearson kicked the final Sharks goal to steady things for the visitors, and despite youngster Drew Willcocks kicking a goal on the final siren, the Kangas fell just short of an upset win. Ross (five goals) was impressive up forward for the Kangas, while Galantino (four goals) was the Sharks’ main avenue to goal given key forward Matt Martin was held goalless by Nick Barrow. Fraser Eaton had plenty of impact on the wing, while young speedster Max Baker also gave the Sharks plenty of drive. Isaac Baum was another standout for the Sharks, collecting plenty of possessions and tackling fiercely all afternoon, while Cameron Jones also won plenty of the ball. For the Kangas, Barrow was terrific in a shutdown defensive role, captain Regan Lloyd was solid, while Nathan Crudeli and Woods won plenty of the ball in the middle of the ground. Kangas coach Brad Bootsma said he was proud of his side’s willingness to keep fighting. “I was just proud of the boys with the way they fought the game out,” he said. “We were about five goals down at three-quarter-time and you can go one way or the other. You either drop your head or fight it out, and they fought it out and had a chance to win it,” Bootsma said. “Unfortunately, I think maybe the better side on the day got over the line. “Lucas (Ravenhill) went off with a shoulder injury and we missed him for the rest of the game because he’s a big key for us.”