By Trevor Jackson
Hatherleigh 15.5 (95) d Kalangadoo 7.10 (52)
Last weekend’s wet conditions provided some interesting Mid South East football results.
None moreso than Hatherleigh’s win over Kalangadoo at the home of the Eagles.
The anticipated Round 9 clash was certainly one many had waited to see and the Eagles were up to the challenge from the opening bounce.
In 2022 Hatherleigh has shown a tendency to give other teams a head start and play catch-up football but that was not the case on Saturday.
The Eagles hit the ground running and began their assault early, with eight straight goals to just one Kalangadoo behind in the first term in relatively good conditions.
The ground was wet but the rain held off for the opening stanza and the Eagles took full advantage of the wind.
“I was really rapt with the opening quarter,” Eagles coach Jake Dowdy said.
“After the week before when we got done, we had a bit to prove and the boys came out firing from the start.
“To be honest, it was probably one of the best quarters of football I have been involved in.
“Everyone was switched on and to kick eight goals straight without any points, considering we have been kicking pretty bad all year, was just unbelievable.
“I can’t really describe it … it was one of those quarters where everything went right.”
The second term saw scores dry up somewhat, with the Magpies unable to replicate the Eagles’ opening-term barrage.
At the long break the margin was 39 points and the home side looked in the box seat to claim the win.
However, Dowdy said it was no time to relax against such a formidable opponent.
“I was happy with the the way the boys came out in the second quarter,” he said.
“I said at quarter time Kalangadoo is a class outfit and will come out firing.
“We had to make sure we didn’t get flustered if they came out hard and got a couple of quick ones.
“Good sides are always going to get a bit of momentum, so you just have to weather it and get that momentum back.”
From there Hatherleigh banged on another four majors in the third term, while the Magpies added two and that created a winning margin the visitors could not overcome.
Again Dowdy said there was no time to relax, with Kalangadoo’s recent effort against Robe still fresh in his memory.
“You just have to look what they did against Robe a couple of weeks ago,” he said.
“They kicked something ridiculous like 14 goals in the last quarter so you know they can score pretty heavily.”
Kalangadoo did win the final term but it was too little, too late and the Eagles celebrated.
However, the early part of the final stanza did throw up some concerns for Dowdy.
“I was actually more impressed with our last quarter than out first,” he said.
“They kicked the first three goals in the last quarter and were up and about.
“You can’t hold a team like that down for the whole game … at some stage they will get some momentum.
“We weathered that storm and went on and kicked the next couple.”
Brad Mitchell was a solid focus up forward, with five goals to his name, while Darcy Bateman (3), Dowdy (2), Jordan Galpin (2) and James Telford (2) all adding multiple majors.
Dowdy said Mitchell again received silver service from his teammates, who delivered the ball accurately.
Bateman has been quiet around goals all season but was also impressive.
That also came from necessity, with usual full forward Jack Skeer out on the wing, before leaving the contest after a head clash late in the second term.
With seven first-pick players out of the lineup, Dowdy said it was an impressive overall performance which provided a great psychological boost to his side.
“Kalangadoo has been the team that has looked really good – they have been belting sides,” he said.
“It is good for us to have that mental edge now, it instils a bit of belief we can actually do it.
“The belief inside the group after a game like that is massive, especially after the week before.
“But we have to be careful not to get carried away.
“Kalangadoo will be a lot better when we play them next time.”
The pointy end of the ladder remains unchanged, with the top-placed Magpies enjoying a huge percentage margin over the second-placed Eagles.
However, the weekend’s result, along with the Round 8 defeat of Hatherleigh at the hands of Port MacDonnell, suggests the season is alive and well, with no team able to relax on any given week.
