Wy Yung has continued its recent dominance of the East Gippsland Junior Football Association under 13 competition with its second consecutive unbeaten premiership season.
The Tigers ran out 27-point winners over a gallant Lindenow last Sunday at the Bairnsdale City Oval, the scoreline not a true indicator of the closeness and intensity of the match.
Playing with great confidence Wy Yung, coached by Bryan Froud, dominated the first term kicking three unanswered goals, all kicked by elusive small forward Jett Anderson.
He was afforded plenty of opportunities created by a hard-working midfield led by ruckman Max Taylor, who gave players such as Archer Emmett, Dante Desio, Max Gudgin and the hard running Flynn Ashwood first use of the ball.
Young excitement machine William Whateley quickly became a crowd favourite as he worked hard across half forward and closer to goal.
With their sails full of wind, the Tigers threatened to go into overdrive and quickly put the game beyond doubt, but Lindenow lifted as Hayley Baxter began to get her hand on the ball at the ruck clearances, and players like Jack White, Riley Hodge, Jack Kerslake and the left-footed Charlie Crane began to assert their authority on the contest.
The Cats kicked the only goal for the term when the smooth-moving Hughie Anderson marked close to goal and kicked truly.
The Tigers had plenty of chances and weren’t short of forward entries, but could only register six behinds as Kerslake, Tom Stansfield and the prolific Hodge and White led the rearguard action for Lindenow.
Trailing by 17 points at half time, Cats coach Anthony Simpson asked his team for supreme effort in the third term and it certainly didn’t disappoint.
Hodge and Crane, who continually busted open packs with his strength and found targets with his trusty left boot, kept surging the ball forward, while Arie Knott and Mason Irish began to look dangerous.
Irish kicked the only goal for the term as the Cats dominated proceedings narrowing the lead to just nine points with 15 minutes to play.
The lead probably would have been less had it not been for the running heroics of Ashwood and Gudgin, who worked hard to get across half back, frustrating the Cats with their ability to cut off entries and clear the ball with precision and class, as Arthur Hood and Donald Hood-Marks worked hard to keep the ball inside the arc for the Cats.
But with Hodge and White playing a similar role for the Cats, goals were hard to come by for the Tigers, with the Cats looking more likely to score.
Taylor played a crucial role working back, spoiling several fruitful attempts when Lindenow looked likely to add to its goal total.
The first goal in the final term was always going to be crucial, the Cats well aware that if the Tigers could get one more, the task would become near impossible in a low-scoring match.
And that’s just what happened with Jack Smith sneaking one home for the Tigers after reading the ball better than his opponents.
When he finished off the good work of Whateley shortly after, the crowd went nuts and the game was over.
His final goal for the term and the match blew the final margin out to 27 points, the Cats left wondering what might have happened had they kicked the first goal in that vital final term.
Best player medals were awarded to both sides, Taylor winning for the Tigers and Hodge the recipient for the Cats.
Other good four-quarter performers for the Tigers were Ashwood, Gudgion, Desio and Emmett, with the cameos from Anderson and Smith certainly significant.
Lindenow was well served by Hodge, Crane, White, Stansfield and Kerslake.
