The Augusta Margaret River Hawks claimed a valuable scalp in the lead up to the South West Football League finals series, defeating the Collie Eagles at Gloucester Park on Saturday.
The Hawks sit in fifth position on the ladder with 32 points while Collie are assured a finals berth with a clear 44 points putting them in third spot.
The first quarter promised a tight, even match between the two sides, so even in fact that the scores were identical at the siren for the first break.
A strong tackle on Jacob Oakes early in the second quarter was cause for concern as he held on to his already strapped elbow showing signs of pain.
It was to be a physical competition, both sides throwing themselves into marking competitions and tackling hard enough to engage a few push and shove moments around the ground.
As the first half came to a close the fists came out again, with both sides showing frustrations over a relatively low score given the amount of energy being expelled on the ground.
Eagle Matt Blackford was increasingly frustrated in defense, shouting for his teammates to give up “no more goals” on a number of occasions and urging a focus on tagging their opponents closely.
A stunning mid-air crack off the boot from Matt Fokkema gave the Hawks the edge going into the main break.
Collie neared the pace in the third quarter, putting enough pressure on the Hawks to secure three goals and leaving just four points to the home side’s lead going into the final term.
Collie neared the pace in the third quarter, putting enough pressure on the Hawks to secure three goals and leaving just four points to the home side’s lead going into the final term.
Tensions were high and umpires were kept busy, with the blood rule sending a number of players off and Collie’s Zachary Faries collecting a red card after a series of shoving contests through the second half of the game.
The Hawks maintained control despite the aggression and continued to kick true, extending their lead with six goals and four points in the fourth quarter putting an end to Collie’s hopes.
Brent Kevill’s soaring goal from fifty was a sight to behold and had the crowd on its feet as the steam ran out of the Eagles.
Steven and Mitchell Payne were devastating with the boot, each kicking three majors and dominating the Eagles defense with clean marks and confident kicking.
A shot on goal in the dying minutes of the final quarter from Cam Melvin failed to make the distance and hit the post which gave a possible respite for Collie.
Towards the final siren Fokkema took a big hit from a marking contest, took some time before he got up and needed help getting off the field.
Final scores 16.9.105 Hawks to 10.8.68 Eagles.
Next week the AMR Hawks will face the Harvey Bulls at Gloucester Park at 4.30pm while Collie will meet the Busselton Magpies at home.
Hawks need to win another two games to give themselves a chance of securing a spot in the finals.
The team will be going into the next match with confidence after winning their last two matches.
Nicky Lefebvre
I am a journalist, photographer and content creator based in the beautiful Margaret River wine region, covering all aspects of our community including local news, sport, entertainment and events, as well as providing a platform for our readers to share their voices direct from regional Australia.
I am a journalist, photographer and content creator based in the beautiful Margaret River wine region, covering all aspects of our community including local news, sport, entertainment and events, as well as providing a platform for our readers to share their voices direct from regional Australia.
