Tough day at Kindra Park with only one senior side coming away victorious against the Collingullie Demons. Very cold for most of the day, but the finals are coming and so will the improved conditions!
Next Game: Round 17 v Wagga Tigers on Saturday 17 August at Robertson Oval. Afterwards it’s off to the Commercial Club for the final time this season for Awards.
FOOTY
First Grade:
Playing against the Demons has been a massively tough hit out for our boys in recent years and Sunday was no different, despite the Gullie being out of finals contention. The Hoppers jumped out of the blocks early to pepper the goals and lead by 26 points at quarter time on the back of handy run and carry and great intensity. Gullie fought back in the second quarter to trail by 22 points at the long break, before the Hoppers re-launched in the third term and then held out the Demons in the final quarter to run out 26 point winners.
Josh Buchanan continues to be a powerhouse for the Hoppers, whether playing tall down back and intercepting several Gullie forward efforts, or drifting forward to take marks on the edge of the goal square, even at the expense of (completely accidentally) knocking BJ Glyde unconscious in a marking contest and leaving his side a man short for most of the game! The super consistent Ryan Allen was another standout for the Hoppers, his composure under pressure down back a major highlight for the green men every week, while Hayden Bradley got more and more influential the tougher the game conditions got, a super reliable competitor around the footy every game and a bloke who every other player loves having next to him when the contest is on.
Other notables included Nick Pleming, who was outstanding in the midfield; Joe Redfern who is in a purple patch with his kicking, nailing another four goals; Jerry Maslin who is almost back to the freakish overhead marking best he displayed early in the season; and the super competitive Marly McGregor who shirked no contest and refused to give in around the footy with his second and third efforts.
Hoppers 11-16-82 defeated Collingullie GP Demons 8-8-56
Goal kickers: J. Redfern 4, J. Maslin 2, M. McGowan 2, J. Buchanan, M. McGregor, S. Charlie
Notable Mentions: N. Pleming, J. Buchanan, J. Redfern, J. Maslin, H. Bradley, M. McGregor
Award Winners: Josh Buchanan (Commercial Club), Ryan Allen & Marly McGregor (Bottom Pub)
Reserve Grade:
A better effort from the Magoos this week against the much fancied Gullie side that sits high on the ladder. While the score shows a fair gap between the teams, the truth is the boys fought every contest and were well in the game at half time.
Isaac Pattison has been super consistent for the Hoppers this year whether on the wing, forward or back and Sunday was no exception, with the Wizard launching himself into a stack of contests and finding a way to present options to team mates going forward. Jack Mason was another heavy contributor for the green men, playing tall and protecting the space well despite some close attention from his opponent, while Tom Heffer, who has taken some time to get going this year after a shorter pre-season, is definitely starting to show some excellent form on the back of his best fitness coming into the business end of the season. Tim Garrett also had a good game up forward landing three goals.
Hoppers 5-1-31 defeated by Collingullie 11-16-82
Goal Kickers: T. Garrett 3, A. Gain, H. Petty.
Notable Mentions: T. Heffer, J. Mason, T. Garrett, I. Pattison, S. Robinson, T. Besgrove
Award Winners: Isaac Pattison (Commercial Club), Jack Mason & Tommy Heffer (Bottom Pub)
Under 17s:
At one point it looked like the young Hoppers wouldn’t get a game on Sunday morning, with concerns about whether Gullie might forfeit. When 14 opponents finally showed up, the Hoppers decided to generously lend them a couple of players each quarter and play 16 on 16. While it was definitely hospitable and in the interest of community footy, it backfired from a result perspective, with Gullie proving too good on the day on the back of a Hopper performance plenty of the young men in green were pretty disappointed with. While the boys were still in it at three quarter time, the truth is their opponents wanted the footy so much more and in the end, that’s what counted.
For the Hoppers, Jake Manley was his usually busy self, hunting the footy every chance he got to turn half chances into opportunities to push the footy forward or kick goals. Will Doyle attacked the footy constantly for four quarters and has an attitude that the Club should bottle when it comes to putting team mates first, his second and third efforts, shepherds and blocks, a consistent part of his game. Will McGowan, meanwhile, worked hard for the footy and was a major fear factor for the opposition up forward all game.
Hoppers 6-8-44 defeated by Collingullie 11-7-73
Goal Kickers: G. Okerenyang 2, W. McGowan, J. Manley, M. Mattingly, M. Stibbard
Notable Mentions: J. Manley, W. Doyle, W. McGowan, L. Crawford, C. Burns, S. Neale
Award Winners: Jake Manley, Will Doyle, Will McGowan
NETBALL
Disappointing outcome for the girls in green, but definitely not a disappointing effort, with every side battling every contest all day. Pretty bloody freezing conditions for netball, but no one turned it up!
A Grade
Score: Coolamon 25 defeated Narrandera 41
Award:
Claudia Barton
ARes Grade
Score: Coolamon defeated by Gullie
Awards:
Bron Maslin and Molly the-birthday-girl Sloan
B Grade
Score: Coolamon 34 defeated by Gullie 44
Awards:
Monique McKinley and Jess McCallum
C Grade
Score: Coolamon 14 defeated by Gullie 24
Awards:
Flynn Buttifant and Zoe Seymour
Under 17s
Score: Coolamon defeated by Gullie
Awards:
Lani Brown and Claire Allen
Go Hoppers!