Demons Demolish Magpies

Willunga skipper Sam Renney captured by Photo Farm SA

Willunga kicked to the northern end of the Willunga oval on a perfect Saturday afternoon. They rattled on 3 goals in the first 5 minutes through Draper (2) and S Renney before Goolwa-Pt Elliot steadied. Griffen kicked their first, Iwao just missed then Bates ran hard and passed to Norman who kicked accurately. From the twenty-minute mark, however, Willunga were able to break the game open. Sam Renney and Liam Nye were everywhere, running out of the centre then following up to crumb anything off hands. Renney kicked his second and third then set up Draper who also kicked his third. Angus and Bates worked hard for the visitors but they could not stem the flow of Willunga goals.  McDonald and Dumense ran from defence and set up two more Draper goals then Renney handballed to Saunders who licked a long 6-pointer.

The Demons began the second quarter with a 6-goal lead which became seven within a minute when Dumense’s run and carry allowed Saunders to find space and kick his second. Renney and Nye were dominant but their forwards became inaccurate and did not reward their hard running. J and R Davis both worked hard for the Magpies. Wilton won a hard ball and delivered to Iwao who goaled to steady the ship. The rest of the quarter was hard fought until Altus and Nye combined to kick the ball long to Nobes who marked and kicked his first to restore Willunga’s momentum. Altus was rewarded for his hard running with a goal. The Magpies could have got one back just before the siren: Angus and R Davis worked the ball forward but Payne’s shot missed.

Willunga kicked ten goals in the premiership quarter to blow the opposition away. They dominated the centre square clearances and had three on the board within 3 minutes off the boots of Draper, Nobes and Saunders. Miegel, in his return to the A-grade side, used his quick hands and feet to become even more dangerous as the game wore on. Hutchens, who was playing his first game for the season, also made his presence felt.  Tregenza had a run through the middle and used his strength to push the ball out to the runners Saunders and Renney. The Willunga defence, marshalled by Haskett, combined beautifully and used their foot skills to advantage Willunga’s big forwards.  Hutchens, Renney and Saunders kicked accurately and Draper added his fifth. On a rare foray forward, Pt Goolwa-Pt Elliot, found Bates who split the middle. From the resulting centre bounce, Willunga’s Bennett kicked his team’s tenth for the quarter.

Willunga were 19-goals up when the final quarter began and extended their lead by kicking nine goals to one. They moved the ball quickly and with assurance. Draper kicked an early goal despite the strong defensive efforts of Bottroff. He kicked another then Schmidt nailed two in a row. Miegel’s hard run on the outer wing set up the second of these. The Magpies had a couple of chances when they locked the ball deep in their forward lines but were twice unlucky not get foot to ball in the goal square. A rushed Willunga kick out of defence resulted in a free kick to the Magpies: O’Flaherty goaled from deep in the pocket. Willunga ran the ball from the centre square thanks to strong bullocking work by Tregenza. Draper and Nobes found the middle of the big sticks. It was a convincing win by Willunga whose speed on the ball and sure handling must have pleased their coach and given the players confidence going into a tough clash next Saturday at Langhorne Creek.

By Al Tucker