Hawks dominate with strong third quarter surge

TARWIN were under no illusions as to the size of the struggle when they welcomed the inform and fourth-placed Morwell East to their home ground on the weekend.

The Sharks, just a game behind those inside the top six, had set themselves to win one against the odds and in doing so shifted to another gear with so many possibilities still ahead, however, what the Sharks were left with, was one that got away, with the visiting Hawks too good when they needed to be.

Morwell East 12-7-79 to Tarwin 5-14-44.

The Hawks have a nice spread of talent within a group of players that can be moulded around both the opposition and also the playing conditions.

“Our small forwards and hard-working mids were key in wet conditions at Tarwin on the weekend,” Paul Henry, Morwell East coach said.

“It was a tight game, hard to get a run and carry going, but we found ways at times. It was nice to be accurate on goal this week. Same scoring shots after halftime, we just managed to kick straighter.”

That has been the story of the year, not only for Morwell East but for a few other clubs at the top of the table, making the most of opportunities when they present and being cool under pressure, because the pressure is seemingly relentless week to week.

“Having to play another top-three team in four weeks, we knew we would have to be switched on,” Jason Kennedy, Tarwin’s coach said.

“At the start of the game, we set ourselves a goal to play four quarters with confidence and I feel we did that. Unfortunately, we didn’t maximise our chances in the forward half and as top teams do, Morwell countered and made us pay. We have taken a lot of positives from the game and will continue to look for ways to improve.”

The Sharks are starting to lose touch with the bottom few clubs of the League’s top six, somehow they need to find a way to reach the finish line first, and they need to do it very quickly.