GSFL Round 13: Tigers secure minor premiership, Bulls thump Magpies and Sharks cling on in a close one

Albany held off a defiant North Albany to notch their eighth win of the Great Southern Football League season, kicking the final three goals of the match to run out 16-point winners at Collingwood Park on Sunday. The Kangas refused to lay down and led by two points at the final change following a terrific third-term surge. The Sharks rallied in the final quarter however to boot three unanswered goals and emerge with a gritty 11.12 (78) to 8.14 (62) victory. The Kangas brought a high-level of tackling pressure and intensity in the first term, booting the first three majors of the contest through Graham Ross, Kiya Jellay and Jarrad McDowall. But a timely goal from Isaac Baum dragged the margin back to 10 points at the first break. Baum added two more in the early stages of the second half to help the Sharks hit the front for the first time in the match. A clean pickup and a classy running finish from George Bockman pushed the Sharks further ahead and Baum added a third while the Kangas’ sole goal of the term came from Ross but they trailed by seven points. Bockman and Matt Martin kicked truly to open up a game-high buffer of 20 points early in the third term but the Kangas responded with three of their own. Jyrin Woods snagged a set shot 10m out before Sam Moir won a 50m penalty, bringing his side back within a goal late in the quarter. With the ball locked in the Shark’s defensive 50, Fynn Kelleher-Bird emerged to snap an opportune goal late in the term as the home side went into the last change full of life and ahead by two points. A chance went begging for Sharks’ Jake Shepherd in the opening stages of the last quarter but Baum again showed his class to kick his fifth of the afternoon. Brett Peake kicked a timely goal from the 50m arc before Martin sealed the game with a goal from 40m directly out in front, sparking joyful scenes from the visitors. Baum was superb, booting five goals in a forward role while also winning crucial clearances in the midfield to set his team up going inside 50. Pinney was rock-solid in his defensive half, intercepting countless entries, shrugging off tackles and providing great rebound in another sparkling display. They were well-supported by pacey wingman Robbie Lee, Max Baker and defender Kieran Zilm. For the visitors, Ross was again prominent in the forward line to finish with four majors while midfielders Nathan Crudeli, Sam Moir and Jonathon Hegney won plenty of the ball and Alec Haskins was also important. Railways stitched up the minor premiership and a home second semi-final after clinging on to a narrow win over Royals in a fiery encounter at Retravision Stadium on Saturday. There was no love lost between the old foes, as a number of scuffles broke out in the first term, but the margin never exceeded 30 points all afternoon. The Tigers opened up a game-high 25-point buffer by three-quarter time but the Lions kept coming and held the visitors scoreless in a pulsating final term. After a run of behinds, Coel Hunter marked alone inside 50 and kicked truly to reduce the deficit to 16 points at the 11-minute mark of the last term. The home side continued to pepper their forward 50m arc and a few minutes later young rising star Rory Luscombe crumbed a pack superbly to slot his third major and make it a nine-point game. The Tigers were left to defend desperately in the final 10 minutes of the match as senior trio Bodhi Stubber, Haydn Sproxton and Craig Frost ensured their side finished winners, 10.7 (67) to 8.10 (58). In a physical opening half, the Tigers led at quarter-time after goals from Matt Palfrey, Kane Shephard and Joel Want but the Lions kicked two goals against the breeze. Majors to key forward Nic Ashford and then Luscombe handed the home side the lead early in the second term before Casey Ganzer was yellow carded for rough conduct after throwing Palfrey to the ground. Palfrey kicked his second soon after and then in-form midfielder Ryan Davies added the visitors fifth to give them a seven-point half-time buffer. The Lions trimmed the margin to seven points at one stage in the third but four goals from Kane Shephard, who played as a deep forward all afternoon, helped the Tigers open up a match-winning advantage. Luscombe and the classy David Parker gave the visitors some momentum midway through the term before Shephard kicked the final three goals of the quarter. Shephard finished with 5.3 in a telling display up front while Palfrey was again influential with three goals and some crucial possessions through the middle of the ground in the second half. Frost was resolute in the back half, Beau Ewen won a stack of clearances and youngster Ryley Valli played one of his best senior games as the Tigers chalked up a sixth straight win. The result means the Tigers can’t be knocked off top spot and the second semi-final later this month will be played at Tigerland. Luscombe produced his best game of league footy and kicked 3.3 while David Parker was prolific in the middle and big man Stephen Beal was highly influential but limped off twice with a sore knee. Tyreice Brown mopped up across half back well in the opening half and gave his side great drive through the centre of the ground while Ashford and Hunter were the other major goalkickers for the losing side. A massive 20-goal second half helped Mt Barker return to the winners list, easily accounting for Denmark-Walpole by 141 points at Sounness Park on Saturday. The Magpies trailed by 41 points at half-time but a 10-goal third term set the tone for the rest of the game as the Bulls consolidated second spot on the GSFL ladder. Two seven-goal hauls from star player Zach Jackson and dynamic forward Keegan Berry played a key part in the 29.9 (183) to 5.12 (42) rout. In a scrappy first term, majors to Scott Price and Keegan Berry helped the home side draw first blood and despite a goal from Magpies’ Tyler Stone, majors to Zach Jackson, Berry and Sam Lehmann capped a solid first term for the home side. Brandon Woods found himself in space early in the second term, putting through the visitors’ second goal of the contest but the Bulls took control from that point on, opening up a 41-point lead at the main break. Nearing half-time Woods was red carded and reported for striking Bulls player Darcy Wallinger. Zach Jackson came to life in the third term to boot five majors while Josh Price, Scott Price, Steven Scott and Lehmann also added goals. Stone did his best from his limited opportunities, converting two set shots in the space of five minutes, but the margin had ballooned to 83 points by the last change. The Bulls kept their foot on the pedal, kicking 10 unanswered goals in the final stanza and keeping the visitors goalless to coast to their ninth win of the season. Zach Jackson was again prolific in a forward-midfield role while Camball McMahon and Bryce Blaszkow provided great support through midfield. Brent Parsons was damaging on a wing and Wallinger offered terrific rebound for the winners all day while Joel Gray also made a sound return to the line-up, gathering plenty of possessions. Magpies player-coach Brad Nisbett was again outstanding as an on-ball midfielder while Tyler Stone (two goals) played an important role. Midfielder Ryan Gaerth was also effective alongside defender Jack Marney in the heavy loss which was compounded by an injury to defender Chris Miller.