2018 Mortlock Shield

Mortlock Shield

EP Sharks won the Bendigo Bank Mortlock Shield on Monday. A full report on Monday’s games will be in Thursday’s Times.ADVERTISING

Saturday

EP Shark Warriors 17.13 (115) def Far West 6.4 (40)

A rejuvenated EP Sharks took to the field against Far West who looked to impress again this year.

Far West showed promise early with Dom Denton taking intercepting marks at half back and Tom Clayton finding space in the midfield.

But the Sharks were soon rolling, Derrick Wanganeen showed great pace and Peter Lindsay helped set up the inside 50s and they soon had their first two goals through Alex Miller.

Clayton got Far West their first goal following a beautiful tackle but Sharks followed up with goals to Michael Coad and Lindsay to lead by 21 points at quarter time.

In the midfield Far West was well served by Wayne Miller in ruck, who was winning taps and Jarrad Trowbridge who got the clearances, one of which led to a goal from Jake Warmington.

However the Sharks were demonstrating they were at a higher standard, controlling contests with numbers and with effective disposals leading to a five goal to two quarter, setting up a 42-point lead at half time.

Coad was really firing in the third, getting the leading marks and the first three goals of the quarter, kicking five overall.

Far West continued to push but had trouble finding targets with a couple of missed opportunities in front of goal. Another five goal quarter gave the Sharks a 72-point lead at the final break.

Far West got its first goal of the second half from Jesse Chandler only for Sharks to get response goals from Wanganeen and Cameron Wild.

Far West would have their best effort in this quarter, kicking three goals while Sharks also kicked three, though they could have extended their lead more.

Sharks ran out 75-point winners and were certain to face Mid West on Monday.

Great Flinders 8.6 (54) def Lincoln City 5.8 (38)

The last game of the day looked to be an exciting one as last year’s champions Lincoln City took on Mortlock powerhouse Great Flinders. Wes Bilney was set to have a big day up forward and got the first two goals for Great Flinders.

However the Lincoln City defence made their opponents earn their inside 50s all day, Cooper Tansell read the play well to intercept the ball and Paul White put his body into the contest for the hard ball gets.

Johann Wagner got City on the board with a great goal from the boundary.

A close quarter saw Great Flinders lead by five points at quarter time as play became contested and physical.

For Great Flinders the talls were standing up with Levi Konitzka having a great game in the ruck and Jaxen Norton also providing a ruck and marking option.

Xavier Watson was a ball magnet in the centre and set up several clearances and soon Great Flinders had the first goal of the second quarter through Michael Crettenden.

Lincoln City continued to push back, Rhys Beinke showed great ball movement through the midfield while Jonty Seal was coming up from half forward and was a reliable marking option.

City only scored one goal this quarter through Jacob Collins as they had a hard time setting up scoring opportunities, Great Flinders’ Joe Walker in particular was doing a great job on Wagner.

Three goals from Great Flinders, including a third from Bilney, gave them a 16-point lead at half time.

City started the third well with a goal from Ben Shillabeer but it would be their only goal of the quarter as play became very contested and scrappy.

The ball was moving back and forth between the 50 metre lines and both teams applied great defensive pressure.

Great Flinders eventually got their only goal of the quarter from Stephen Crettenden and went into the final break leading by 15 points.

Scoring opportunities were few and far between in the final quarter as the two teams displayed good tackling and had numbers around stoppages.

A close quarter saw two goals from each team, including a second from S. Crettenden after the siren to give Great Flinders the 16-point win.

Great Flinders’ second quarter effort set up enough of a lead and they managed to keep Lincoln City at bay throughout to hold on for the win in an exciting game of football.

Eastern Eyre 9.9 (63) def Lincoln Districts 9.6 (60)

It looked early like a competitive, close game with Lincoln Districts getting on the board with a goal from Matt Parker only for Eastern Eyre to get a response goal from Dean Storic.

Lincoln Districts looked to capitalise around stoppages and had numbers to set up the run and carry, which led to goals for Parker and Casey Amos, Districts led by 12 points at quarter time.

Eastern Eyre got the start it needed in the second quarter with two goals for spearhead Joel Fitzgerald who would show when he was able to get away from the defensive work of Jerome Ah Kit-Burgoyne could make an impact.

Jesse Kemp was impressive in ruck, giving his teammates first option while providing a marking target in the middle.

Lincoln Districts maintained defensive pressure while continuing to set up passages down the midfield with Kingsley Bilney Jnr and Lance Appleby standing out with their pace and ball movement while Tynan Keeley showed when he gets the lead, he will take the mark and is capable of kicking the goal.

In the third quarter Eastern Eyre once again got the first two goals, one each for Storic and Fitzgerald, but Districts maintained their run and carry game, Bilney showed great pace and got a response goal only for Kemp to set up Fitzgerald for his fourth.

Districts right the ship with goals to Reece Francis and Keeley, who continued to take impressive leading marks, but Eastern Eyre utilised the switch to set up inside 50s.

A third goal for Keeley gave Districts a slight four point lead at the final break.

Eastern Eyre go forward early and Ben Clements kicks the ball towards goal from outside 50 and despite Ah Kit-Burgoyne’s chase bounces through for a goal.

Now in front Eastern Eyre managed to get numbers around the ball and stop Districts from setting up their run and carry, Jake Bruce and Reece Rayson frequently attacked the footy to get another charge going.

It was a hard, physical contest for the remainder of the game with the teams cancelling each other out with hard tackling and contests.

Clement’s goal proved to be enough as Eastern Eyre would hold on for a memorable three point win.

Mid West  13.12 (90) def Far North 2.1 (13)

The Mortlock Shield opener saw the two teams deal with the effect the previous night’s rain had on the ground with players struggling to get clean hands on the ball.

The first quarter proved to be a fairly even contest with lots of contested football in slippery conditions, with each earning two goals for the quarter.

Jesse Stringer started to have an effect in the midfield early as he tried to set up passages of play with his disposals while Josh Hicks impressed for Far North as he attacked the ball and was effective with his disposals.

Mid West started to take control in the second quarter, winning possessions through  the middle while applying the defensive pressure to prevent Far North from creating any opportunities.

In defence Mitchell Gum and Liam Newton were intercepting the ball off half back, Joe Burgoyne displayed great pace in getting the ball into the Mid West 50 while Kingsley Ware attacked the ball whenever it approached and got two first half goals for his efforts.

Mid West finished the quarter with five goals while Far North were kept goalless to give Mid West a strong 35-point lead at half time.

After some back and forth play Mid West got their first goal through Cameron Montgomerie.

Far North continued to push back and applied their own defensive pressure to ensure Mid West earned their opportunities.

Despite these efforts Mid West continued to set up their zones and create inside 50s.

Remi North had a big second half with his presence down the wings, helping to push Mid West forward.

Mid West would keep Far North to their two first quarter goals, finishing with a 77-point win to set themselves up well for Monday.