It was far from the perfect day for Wangaratta Rovers in their reserve grade grand final tilt against Lavington, with the Hawks getting taught a lesson 1.9 (15) to 8.13 (61).
The match was extremely contested early, with multiple repeat ball ups and boundary throw ins slowing the pace of the game to a crawl.
Lavington’s Nick Sedgwick kicked the opening goal of the match on a slight angle 25 metres out, and the Rovers knew they needed to respond.
A highly contested second term saw plenty of heavy tackles and rebound footy.
The Rovers would have plenty of the footy and generate multiple inside 50s, but couldn’t capitalise until Harry Nolan slotted one from a set shot after nine minutes.
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The match would continue to be a physical endeavour, with neither team really able to penetrate through their half forward line before being repelled.
Frustrations boiled over, as the crowd was treated to a bit of argy-bargy throughout the term, but it would be the Panthers who would head into the rooms with the lead, Rovers trailing 1.6 (12) to 2.4 (16).
While the Rovers would be brimming with confidence, their ball use in the first half and tactics going forward could use a bit of cleaning up.
Determined to take the fight to Lavington, the Rovers came out of the rooms with energy, but Lavington went to another level.
The Panthers’ pressure around the footy was elite, hunting in numbers and setting up well to generate repeat entries into their forward 50.
There were brilliant moments from the Rovers defensive unit, including a wonderful goal-saving tackle from Harry McMonigle, while Mitch Booth, Joe Allen and Sam Allen were all impressive, but it was hard going.
Whenever the Rovers could get the ball past the centre of the park, the Panthers would kill it, work it out, and launch back into attack with apparent ease.
Lavington’s Archy Cohalan kicked back-to-back goals from almost impossible angles, stretching the lead to 31 points.
Rovers managed just a single minor score for the third term, while Lavington piled on four goals and just as many behinds to lead by five goals and all but put the game to bed.
The fourth quarter was all Lavington, as the Panthers controlled possession, used the footy well, and kept Rovers largely out of the contest.
Ultimately, Lavington’s top level players were just that step above the Rovers, with the Panthers taking the flag by 46 points.
