GSFL 2023: Drought over for Denmark-Walpole, Albany make it seven straight and Railways too good at home

Denmark-Walpole broke their 2023 drought, with a vastly different team to that one that has played the first part of the season proving far too strong in the Benno Napier Memorial Game at McLean Park on Saturday afternoon. The Magpies have struggled in the first six rounds of the season and the Great Southern Football League introduced 20-minute straight quarters in league games to help limit the damage. However in a surprising move the Magpies brought in 13 players from outside the competition, 10 of who came from Perth that knew Napier well while two came from Boddington who had a bye in the Upper Great Southern Football League. The Magpies kicked the first goal of the game and led at every change, punishing the Kangas’ regular turnovers on their way to a first win of the season. Leading by 11 points at quarter-time the Magpies produced a commanding second term, with five unanswered goals setting up the 63-point victory. Boddington star and former WAFL midfielder Zak Pretty was outstanding on his way to the medal for best on ground. Pretty won a stack of the ball in the middle and kicked two classy goals in the third term as the home side stretched the margin to 56 points by the last change. The Kangas kicked two of their four majors in the final stanza but they were outgunned from the outset and slipped to a sixth loss of the season, 15.5 (95) to 4.8 (32). Up forward, Bailey Bennett led the way with four majors and Boddington’s Sam Wiranata chipped in with three. Liam Kelly, Jack Flynn, Jake Morgan and Klinton Williams were all terrific for the home side. Jyrin Woods was outstanding in a losing affair, winning countless clearances and kicking a goal while co-captain Nick Barrow toiled hard all afternoon. Drew Willcocks was important in the ruck and around the ground while Nathan Crudeli and Kobi Keen won plenty of the ball. Albany eased past Royals in the Retravision Stadium derby with an emphatic 61-point triumph on Saturday. After an evenly fought first quarter, the Sharks put together a dominant showing in the remaining three quarters to keep their undefeated status intact. The Lions were held to four goals in the second half with the Sharks welcoming back a number of key players as they piled on nine goals to claim a 16.12 (108) to 7.5 (47) triumph and a second win over their co-tenants in 2023. Robbie Lee, Lewis Bosch and Stewart Davies all returned to the line-up as Harry Hordacre bagged four goals in a damaging role up forward. The Lions withstood a barrage of inside-50s in the first term and the Sharks could only find goals through Bosch and Hordacre before Lions’ James Watters kicked one late in the quarter. Hordacre poked one through the big sticks off the ground in the second term and both sides traded goals early but the Sharks were gaining the ascendancy. A late goal to Sharks’ Bryce Blaszkow 35m out helped put his side up by 27 at the long break. The midfield brigade of the Sharks were having plenty of success in the third term to win possessions, clearances while gaining metres and the Sharks had three consecutive majors to start the second-half. Brett Peake had his first through a piece of clever crumb-work, Hordacre roosted his fourth from 50m out and Peake snapped another from the boundary. Cameron Allison stemmed the flow for the Lions but two consecutive goals to Taj Williams and Peake ballooned the margin out further nearing the final break. Sam Holmes was yellow-carded for rough conduct on Lewis Bosch late in the third term as punches were thrown following a scuffle on the boundary line. A late goal from Isaac Baum handed the Sharks to a 61-point lead at three-quarter time. Things wouldn’t get easier for the Lions and despite a much better term, two goals to George Bockman and one to Bosch ensured Lions fell to a third loss of the season. Holmes received his second yellow card of the contest towards the end of the final term, penalised for a late hit on Tait McLean. Hordacre was outstanding in the forward line while midfielders Blaszkow and Williams also shone. Lee was back to his best on the wing and Kane Pinney intercepted well at centre half-back across the four quarters. Corey Linthorne defended well under immense pressure for the Lions while Allison and Holmes were also solid and Lorcan McNamara kicked three majors. Railways claimed a sixth win of the GSFL season with a crushing 85-point win over Mt Barker at Tigerland. The Bulls hung on during the first half but a dominant six goal to one third term helped guide the reigning premiers to a third-straight win. The Tigers brought had three big inclusions in Ray Daniels, Lachy Mouritz and Henrick Alforque and they ran out big winners in the end, 20.14 (134) to 7.7 (49). Kane Shephard bagged six goals playing predominantly as a forward while Mouritz, Hayden Sproxton and Joel Want also joined the party with three apiece. With Beau Ewen and Logan Stubber getting busy in the middle and Bodhi Stubber once again a pillar of reliability in the back half, the Bulls were well-beaten in the end. The Tigers were off to a positive start charging to a 27-point lead at half-time with Want, Shephard and Daniels booting two goals each in the first half. The visitors weren’t out of the contest but two early third-term goals to Shephard and Sproxton pushed the home side’s lead to 40. David Stone stemmed the flow for the visitors with a simple set shot from 35m out but goals to Mouritz, Shephard and Sproxton extended the Tigers’ buffer to 63 points at the last change. The Bulls were afforded little respite as the Tigers piled on more misery towards the end of the contest. Mouritz, tucked about against the boundary, put through a spectacular goal early in the last quarter and the Tigers added five more before the final siren. The Bulls snagged three of their own, with forward James Gray finding the big sticks late in the quarter to give his side some joy but they slumped to a fourth defeat of the year. Darcy Wallinger and Lee Pavlovich were instrumental for the Bulls defensively while Zach Jackson was their only multiple goal kicker with two.