Bears battle Barooga across every grade

Best: Josh Cheek, Lachlan Phillips, Benjamin Beaton, Glenn Dominick, Bradley Ward, Geoffrey Montgomery.

Dark, gloomy conditions set the scene for a tough afternoon at Barooga, but the Tungamah Bears produced one of their grittiest performances of the season.

Although the scoreboard did not fall Tungamah’s way, the final margin certainly did not reflect the effort and determination the boys showed across all four quarters against one of the competition’s top sides.

The midfield trio of Josh Cheek, Brad Ward and James Lyall worked tirelessly all day, throwing themselves into every contest and refusing to take a backward step.

Drew Haebich and Glenn Dominick set the tone early with a fierce first quarter, helping Tungamah take a narrow lead into the opening break.

Ben Beaton had one of the toughest assignments in country football, lining up against the league’s leading goalkicker, and did an outstanding job of keeping his influence to a minimum for much of the afternoon.

Gus Ford’s presence was also a welcome boost, with his determination, leadership and Bears spirit evident around the ground.

Lach Phillips, Archie Doyle and Moose all battled hard from the opening bounce to the final siren, never lowering their colours and continuing to compete until the very end.

Although the scoreboard favoured the home side, the effort, intensity and commitment shown by every player was something the coaches, players and supporters could all be proud of.

The final margin simply did not reflect how fiercely the boys competed throughout the afternoon.

Reserves

Barooga 1.0, 2.2, 5.2, 8.3 (51) def Tungamah 2.2, 4.2, 6.3, 7.3 (45)

Goals: Cam Nye 3, Will Prescott. 1, Brae Grant 1, James Irvine 1, Tyler Greene 1

Best: Tyler Greene, Kade Michael, Justin Saunders, Brae Grant, Cam Nye, Josh Jones.

The Lunchtime Legends made the trip to Barooga looking to keep the winning train rolling.

Cam Nye clearly had his old club circled on the calendar.

The big unit came out white hot, banging through two early sausages and reminding everyone why he had been so hard to replace.

He copped plenty of lip throughout the day but had the last laugh, introducing one poor bloke to a shot-put-style stiff arm that launched him far enough for Jetstar to start asking whether he had checked baggage.

Big Jim set the tone by kicking one in the opening minute, then apparently decided he had fulfilled his weekly quota and spent the rest of the day doing his best Houdini impression.

Barooga made the interesting tactical decision to send a tagger to Stiffy Green.

In fairness, the little bloke had the footy on a string all afternoon.

When a team is prepared to sacrifice one of its own just to slow down a bloke built like an undersized jockey, he is probably doing something right.

Jezza Kelly once again proved he was tougher than a two-dollar steak.

The skipper just kept turning up, winning his own footy and refusing to stop running.

Where he gets the tank from remains one of country football’s greatest mysteries because it certainly is not Thursday night training.

Kade celebrated his 18th birthday by attacking the contest hard.

Matt Powell must have upset the adjudicator because the umpire had absolutely no interest in hearing his side of the story.

The poor bloke was pinged for holding the ball somewhere between the boundary line and the canteen, then somehow managed to contribute six points to the opposition’s score.

Playa was once again using his two greatest assets, his mouth and his forehead.

The opposition copped an absolute earbashing all day before he apparently decided verbal communication was not getting the message across.

A few of the younger boys might have been disappointed to miss out on senior selection, but the ageing demographic of the Ressies was not complaining.

The injection of fresh legs made a few of the veterans look as though they had discovered a second wind, or at least delayed the first heart attack.

Brae might be built like a pool cue, but he attacks the contest like a cattle dog.

The only sour note came late in the third quarter when a five-minute lapse opened the door.

Three quick goals turned what had looked comfortable into a genuine arm wrestle, and despite leading for most of the afternoon, the boys could not quite hang on, eventually going down 8.3 (51) to 7.3 (45).

It was not the result the Lunchtime Legends were chasing, but there was enough good football being played to suggest the boys would not be far away when it mattered.

Best: T. Greene, K. Michael, J. Saunders, B. Grant, C. Nye, J. Jones.

Goals: C. Nye 3, W. Prescott 1, B. Grant 1, J. Irvine 1, T. Greene 1.

Thirds

Tungamah 5.6 (36) was defeated by Barooga 7.9 (51).

Tungamah came out firing on all cylinders and made its presence known on Barooga’s home turf.

The boys moved the ball fluently in a tight opening term and went into quarter time with a five-point lead.

The second quarter was exciting to watch, with the young Bears transitioning well from the backline, through the centre and towards the forward line.

Unfortunately, they could not capitalise on the scoreboard.

Tungamah held a narrow one-point lead at the half-time break.

Whatever the coaches had to say at half time certainly fired up the lads.

The third quarter saw the rovers dominate and read the ruck work well.

The Bears were able to apply scoreboard pressure and went into three-quarter time with a 12-point lead.

Unfortunately, the final quarter saw the boys lapse again, with a fast and fit Barooga team running over the top of them and leaving Tungamah scoreless for the term.

The young Bears are not far away from putting together four strong quarters, and everyone is eager to see what they can produce when it happens.

Awards: Bamford Builders – Jett Bamford, Central Murray Bank – Billy Doyle, Doyle’s Socks – Luke O’Brien, Tungamah Shop – Slater Goudie, Intersport Wingates – Chase Payne.

Best: J. Bamford, B. Doyle, L. O’Brien, S. Goudie, C. Payne, D. Hargreaves.

Goals: Z. Bramich 2, J. Bamford 1, C. Payne 1, T. Ussher 1.

Fourths

Tungamah 0.0 (0) was defeated by Barooga 10.6 (66).

Tungamah travelled to Barooga for the first time since the club returned to the competition to take on the top side.

The coaches were adamant that if the boys brought the same fierce pressure they had shown the previous week, they would be in the hunt.

The boys fought as hard as they could but could not quite match their bigger-bodied opponents.

Isaac McLarty played a dour game in defence, consistently intercepting Barooga’s forward thrusts.

Noah Lawless continued his good form and played well through the middle.

Chase Jarjoura was playing against his former club and moved to half-back after half time, using his pressure and rebound to make life difficult for Barooga’s forwards.

Alex Morgan played well across the backline in a new role.

Ryder Kelly tried his heart out through the middle, while Lakyn Saunders’s tackling was a real highlight of the game.

Xavier Whiting won his position on the wing, which was a great sign for the future from a bottom-age player.

The Bears travel to Tocumwal next week for another clash that could help shape the top four.

Awards: Intersport Wingates – Alex Morgan, Tungamah Shop – Noah Lawless, Doyle’s Socks – Xavier Whiting, Thursday Meal – Chase Jarjoura, Coaches’ Award – Isaac McLarty.

Best: I. McLarty, N. Lawless, C. Jarjoura, A. Morgan, R. Kelly, L. Saunders.

Fifths

The boys came up against a powerful Barooga team.

That did not stop the little guns from taking the game to their opponents and controlling the contest from start to finish.

Dom was outstanding, Little Sidey was in and under everything, Kobi controlled the backline, while Hunter ran amok up forward and Ryder was also prominent.

Awards: Mason, Kynan, Rory, Billy, Ernie.

Netball

A Grade

Tungamah 57 defeated Barooga 35.

Tungamah delivered another polished performance on Saturday, producing a composed four-quarter effort to defeat Barooga by 22 goals.

The Bears steadily built on their lead throughout the match, taking a five-goal advantage into the first break before extending it to nine at half time.

A disciplined third quarter saw the margin grow to 15 goals, with the team continuing to execute its structures and maintain defensive pressure before finishing strongly to secure a convincing 57–35 victory.

It was a complete team performance, with every player contributing across the court.

In attack, Sophie Coghill was outstanding, shooting with an exceptional 97 per cent accuracy to provide a reliable target and capitalise on the opportunities created by her teammates.

The team thanked Tahnee, Emily, Mollie and Stacey for helping out that week.

Awards: Players’ Player, Jaycees and Doyle’s Socks – Sophie Coghill, Club Award – Sophie Coghill, One Zach – Bella Cavka, Free as a Bird – Molly Grant.

B Grade

Tungamah 51 defeated Barooga 38.

A dominant opening quarter laid the foundation for another strong Tungamah victory, with the Bears racing to a 12-goal lead at the first break.

The strong start allowed the coaches to make several positional changes throughout the remainder of the match.

This gave the team an opportunity to trial different combinations while maintaining control of the game.

Despite Barooga continuing to compete, the Bears remained composed, supported one another across the court and finished with a well-earned 13-goal win.

The team thanked Elli and Billie-Jo for helping out that week.

Awards: Players’ Player, Purtle’s Award and Doyle’s Socks – Brodie Gissing, Hemphill’s Family Award – Lauren Miles, Judd’s Award – Marissa Schofield.

C Grade

Tungamah 40 defeated Barooga 38.

It was another tough contest for the C Grade girls, with Barooga bringing plenty of intensity from the opening whistle.

Both teams had their moments throughout the game, with small lead changes keeping the contest close.

At times, Tungamah was drawn into a faster style of play than it would have liked, but Amy and Claudia did a great job of settling the group in the second half.

They reminded everyone to take a breath and trust the team’s game plan.

Madi K. was once again a strong presence in attack, holding her ground against tough defenders and providing a reliable target throughout the game.

Trailing by two goals at the final break, the girls showed great composure and determination.

They patiently worked the ball around the circle, capitalised on their opportunities and dug deep to finish with a well-earned two-goal win.

It was another great team effort that proved exactly why the group belonged in the top four.

Awards: Players’ Player and Jaycees – Madi Kelly, Free as a Bird – Amy Hollister, Bft – Claudia Cruikshank.

C Reserve

Tungamah 15 was defeated by Barooga 31.

It was a tough game for the team, but the girls fought hard throughout the entire contest.

They were aggressive towards the ball in both attack and defence.

The game was close throughout the first half, but the girls were unable to hold on during the second half.

Maya was a weapon at wing attack, receiving most of the centre passes by using the setup taught at training.

Mimi was amazing in defence.

She owned the goal defence position and was only called for obstruction three times.

Her defensive pressure was on point.

Remi was excellent at goal shooter and held her defender perfectly.

She shot long bombs as though they were nothing.

Awards: Maya, Mimi, Remi.

Under 17s

Tungamah 56 defeated Barooga 20.

The girls came out firing from the first whistle.

Their well-timed leads and accurate feeds helped establish a positive lead on the scoreboard early in the game.

The defenders stayed tight on their opponents throughout the match, making Barooga work for every goal.

In the midcourt, the girls used their space well and created a steady, controlled flow along the entire court.

The attackers worked hard and moved quickly to maintain possession, while the goalers consistently sent the ball through the ring.

Awards: Central Murray Bank – Grace, Jaycees – Tayla, Rich Glen – Claire.

Under 15s

Tungamah 34 defeated Barooga 25.

A slow start saw Barooga score the first five goals of the game, but the Bears found something extra and ended the opening quarter in front.

Tungamah wanted to steady the game during the second quarter, but Barooga had other ideas.

The Bears went into half time with a one-goal lead.

During the second half, the team began working for one another, gathering loose balls and attacking the play.

Asha absorbed all of the defensive pressure and used it to push herself to work hard and continue presenting in the ring.

Her conversion rate kept the scoreboard ticking over.

Paige played her role at goal attack extremely well, making strong offers from the centre pass, driving strongly into the ring and converting her goals nicely.

Maddie ran out the game strongly and continued to build momentum as the match progressed.

Her controlled feeding into the ring showed great composure.

Although the Bears started slowly and the scoreboard pressure created an intense contest, the team held its nerve and secured a hard-fought win.

Awards: Players’ Player and Jaycees – Asha Kelly, Rich Glen – Maddie Cassidy, Bamford Builders and Opposition Pick – Paige Bamford.

Under 13s

Tungamah 44 defeated Barooga 18.

The girls got off to a fantastic start, setting the tone early with outstanding defensive pressure on Barooga’s centre passes.

Their hard work paid off with at least three turnovers during the opening quarter, helping them build a strong 20–7 lead.

The defensive effort continued throughout the game, with plenty of hands-over pressure in the goal ring making every contest count.

The coaches made several positional changes across the court, and every player adapted brilliantly.

Once again, the players demonstrated the strength, versatility and teamwork of this talented group.

It was a fantastic team performance from everyone, and the girls deserved plenty of praise.

Awards: Bestfit – Harper Powell, Jaycees – Mia Broesder, Tungamah Shop – Sophie Henderson.