The Augusta Margaret River Hawks defeated the Harvey Bulls in a power struggle over the weekend.
The Bulls led early and a lucky bounce over the Hawks defence resulted in Harvey taking a 3.1 (14) lead over the Hawks’ one point mid-way through the first term.
Hawk Mitchell Lynn got the breakthrough for the home-side, but Harvey’s Jaxon Egan returned serve, slotting through a major from inside 50.
After much contested possession, the ball made it down Augusta Margaret River’s end and landed in the hands of Jake Rodgers.
Crushingly, it hit the post and the Hawks went into the first break trailing the visitors 1.2 (8) to 4.3 (27).
A strong second quarter from the Hawks closed the gap on the scoreboard.
It was all Augusta Margaret River in the early minutes but three behinds wasn’t helping their cause.
Finally, they scored when a big grab from Jack Hick resulted in a goal but Harvey responded by sending the ball soaring into their forward 50 straight from the centre clearance.
Strong defence from the Hawks meant the ball ended up back in the midfield, where it would remain for a fair amount of the quarter.
Weather conditions were tough enough and the Bulls were making the Hawks work for every possession.
Brett Dobson was able to sneak through a goal after being gifted possession from Jacob Payne.
Dobson’s goal was remarkable considering at that point it was so windy the posts were moving.
A free kick went Augusta Margaret River’s way at the centre bounce but this was soon returned to Harvey when Hawk Hick took a defender high in the forward 50.
In the Harvey forward line, David Hill looked dangerous directly in front and 30 metres out but it sailed through for a behind.
This marked a small burst of Harvey domination when the Hawks failed to clear the ball from the Harvey goal square twice.
Third time was the charm and the Hawks were able get it back to their end.
In the hands of Hick, it looked promising, and he tried to do the right thing in the conditions by dribbling the ball towards goal. But his effort wasn’t rewarded and it hit the post.
The rain set in and Harvey made a late run before half-time.
A misfire from Egan, who silkily weaved through a barrage of defenders, was quickly corrected with a goal by the Bulls.
At the major break, there was only a goal in it, Harvey leading 5.6 (36) to 4.6 (30).
Augusta Margaret River again started the term strong, but couldn’t capitalise on this early momentum.
The home side paid the price when Harvey’s Brett Lofthouse sailed the footy over the defenders where Egan was able to scoop it up and dribble it through for a goal.
Bull Ryan Nye took a one-handed grab but wasn’t able to convert a major.
When Margaret River handed a free kick to Harvey for an off-ball incident it didn’t look good, especially when it landed in the Egan’s possession.
Egan’s miss and Harvey’s wasted opportunities left the door open for the Hawks to claw their way into the lead.
The heaven’s opened and visibility was near impossible for the final moments in the quarter.
However, two late goals from the Hawks meant they went into the fourth in front 7.8 (50) to 6.8 (48).
In the fourth, the Hawks again burst out of the blocks, this time holding on to their energy surge.
After two points in a row, a goal from Mitchell Gerrans set the Hawks up for victory.
The home team went on to kick another major, while keeping Harvey scoreless in the final term.
In the end, the Hawks took the win 9.11 (65) to the Bulls’ 6.8 (44). Dobson finished with three to his name and was named among the best along with Payne.
Colts, reserves win over the Bulls
Young Hawk Cody Rodgers played an impressive game on Sunday with four goals against the Harvey Bulls.
His contribution went towards their healthy 53 point victory in round 13 of the Colts competition.
It was a good start for the Hawks, kicking four goals in the first quarter while the Bulls managed one major.
The Hawks kept extending the lead in the second term, kicking another three goals while the Bulls kicked one.
The Bulls were kept scoreless in the third quarter while the Hawks kicked another three goals.
The last term was Harvey’s best, kicking four goals to the home side’s three, but it was too little too late.
The final score was 13.14(92) to 6.3(39).
It was a low scoring affair for the Reserves side who also had a win against the Bulls.
The Hawks kept their opponents scoreless in the first quarter while kicking two goals and six behinds themselves.
AMR missed more opportunities in the second term, only kicking one goal and four behinds while the Bulls caught up with two goals.
The Bulls were scoreless again in the third quarter and the Hawks did just enough to keep their lead with one goal and four behinds.
The final term saw the Bulls only manage three behinds while the home side kicked one goal two.
The final score was 5.16(46) to 2.4(16).
