Cats close in on top two with Cobram win

The first quarter began at a frenetic pace.

Finley had the opportunity to kick the first goal after Charlie Lang received a free, and he hit his brother Tom, who pushed his shot across goal.

Cobram took the ball the length of the ground to record their first goal of the game through Flynn Penberthy.

The next centre clearance went to Finley, and Paul Massingham got the ball to Tom Lang and he kicked truly to score the Cats’ first.

Cobram’s Matt DeMaio kicked the next two goals to take a handy lead halfway through the term.

Finley then lost Zac Brain after being sent off, and the Cats had to play the rest of the quarter with 17 men.

Finley ruckman Lachlan Hawkins competed well, and the Cats’ defenders, led by Jesse McDonald, settled and restricted their opposing forwards.

Wingman Jesse White and Mark Whiley won their fair share of the ball, but it was Cobram that had a 19-point lead at the first break.

The second quarter saw the ball slingshot from end to end early, and Cobram’s captain Sam Beasley was dominating. Isaac Artivilla’s goal put the Tigers in a 25-point lead.

Brain returned to the ground and had an instant impact with a goal.

This sparked the Cats into action, with Bailey Burke laying a big tackle and receiving a 50-metre penalty that resulted in a long-range goal.

The Cats went to work around the stoppages and restricted Cobram’s run, and it was Whiley who kicked the next goal to reduce the margin to five points.

The Cats got the next clearance, and Mitch Carson ran through the 50 and kicked to Lang, who goaled. The Cats were in front for the first time.

Finley had lifted their work rate and tackle pressure, and Finley’s Mitch Reilly scored the next taking the Cats to a 10-point lead at the main break.

In the third quarter, the pressure went to the next level.

Hawkins dominated around the ground, and the Cats’ defence of Angus Robertson, McDonald, Jake Maconachie, Luke Moore and Whiley, went to work around the stoppages.

Tom Lang took a huge mark and kicked a goal.

The next passage of play saw Paul Massingham kick the ball to Kyle Coates, who marked and handballed to Jack Lang who goaled.

It took to the 22-minute mark for Cobram to score a goal through Fergus Pinnuck, and the Cats took a handy lead into the last stanza of 17 points.

The last quarter saw both sides put everything on the line, both in attack and defence.

Hawkins took a mark deep in Cobram’s forward line. He kicked it to Massingham, who got it to Charlie Lang, then Mitch Carson, who hit Tom Lang and ending in a goal.

The next score was through Jackson Trengrove, who kicked the ball off the ground to reduce the margin.

Tom Lang again led up to the ball, marked and goaled to give the Cats some breathing space.

However, at the 17-minute mark, Pinnick kicked his second goal for Cobram to reduce the margin to 15 points.

Finley defender Robertson drifted forward and marked but pushed his shot across goal.

The ball went to the other end, and Cobram goaled again reducing the margin to 10 points.

However, by the final siren, the Cats had defended their advantage and moved one step closer to securing second position.

Final score: Finley 10.9 (69) def Cobram 9.5 (59).

Next week, the Cats face arch-rival Nathalia at home in what will be another cracking game in front of a massive crowd.

Goals: Tom Lang 4, Bailey Burke, Zac Brain, Mark Whiley, Jack Lang, Mitch Reilly, Mitch Carson.

Best players: Mark Whiley, Tom Lang, Jesse McDonald, Jack Lang, Kayden Sharp, Lachlan Hawkins.

Awards: Country Club Hotel - Jesse McDonald; Irwin Stockfeed - Lachy Hawkins; OMLS - Kayden Sharp; Eagle i Machinery - Jack Lang; Marshall Ag - Cruz Nash.

Reserves

In the reserves, it was a do-or-die clash with the winner likely getting the final spot in the top six.

On a wet day, the Cats were up for the fight, controlling the first three quarters.

The attack on the footy and the opposition was ferocious.

However, in the last quarter, the Cats went away from what they were doing well, and a combination of poor decision-making and questionable calls ultimately cost them the game.

Final score: Finley 4.4 (28) def by Cobram 5.3 (33).

We move to next week, needing a strong performance and praying for some favourable results.

Goals: James Kennedy 3, Lenny Dattoli.

Best players: Noah Iddles, Reilly Rennick, James McCaw, James Kennedy, Eli Sutton, Lenny Dattoli.

Awards: O’Connors Case IH - Noah Iddles; Kelly Grains - Reilly Rennick; Finley RSC - James McCaw; Garnaut Private Wealth - James Kennedy; Kalangadoo Nursery - Lenny Dattoli.

Under-17s

The thirds had what was possibly their worst performance of the season in the penultimate round.

In trying conditions played on Cobram’s home ground, the Cats came up against a far superior and disciplined team that made us look well off the pace.

Good players were few and far between, but notable mentions go to captain Jordan Sykes and young ruckman Jackson Tooke, who both worked hard all day.

Issac Lunn, Jeremy Doolan and Harry Daniel also had their moments.

First-year player Tom White showed how much improvement he has made since the beginning of the season.

Fortunately, we have a huge game this week against Nathalia at home to finish our season, so hopefully, the boys can finish the season on a positive note.

Final score: Finley 0.1 (1) def by Cobram 12.16 (88).

Best players: Jordan Sykes, Jackson Tooke, Isaac Lunn, Tom White, Jeremy Doolan, Harry Daniel.

Awards: Finley RSC - Jackson Tooke; Ross and Sarah - Isaac Lunn; Beazley Transport - Tom White; The Massage Shop - Jeremy Doolan; Kalangadoo Nursery - Harry Daniel; Massingham Auto - Jordan Sykes.

Under-14s

The second-last game of the home and away season put Finley against ladder leaders Cobram.

It was a good chance for the boys to show how much they’d improved against quality opponents.

After some negotiations, both teams agreed to play two additional players and a couple extra on the bench, giving the boys the most opportunity for a game as the season ended.

Cobram got off to a roaring start, kicking the first goal quickly. It left Finley shell-shocked for a moment, before rallying behind the efforts of Blake Vidler and Campbell Reynolds.

The latter played his entire game in the midfield after an injury and some late outs.

The second quarter saw the backmen finding their feet and taking control, with Joel Fitzell and Darcy Sutton using their strength to power through packs and attack the ball with confidence.

Cobram, showing their class, still attacked with speed and forced goals through. But Angus Urquhart’s efforts in the backline, along with his brother Lachlan’s in the midfield, put the pressure on with an experimental placement of Adam Chellew in the midfield.

The additional wings gave both teams a lot of freedom on Cobram’s large ground, resulting in heaps of ground coverage from Logan Paesley and Corey Dundon, who attacked early at each contest.

Lachy Marshall and Noah Brindley carried out a four-quarter effort and showed just how much they have improved with their ability to fly in the air and read the play defensively.

It gave Finley a leading marking option as the game went on, and as players got tired and a high jumping fist or making hands.

In the end, Cobram proved why they were the best, but we were proud of how the boys improved within the game alone and took on the challenge of playing against such a skilled team.

Final score: Finley 0.0 (0) def by Cobram 14.10 (94).

Best players: Campbell Reynolds, Joel Fitzell, Lachlan Urquhart, Noah Brindley, Lachlan Marshall, Darcy Sutton.

Awards: Finley RSC - Campbell Reynolds; Evans and Associates - Joel Fitzell; Kalangadoo Nursery - Lachlan Urquhart; Bauer Family - Noah Brindley; Sutto’s Mini Excavations Coach’s Award - Lachlan Marshall; Lucas McCaw - Darcy Sutton.