The one that got away from Wonthaggi

WONTHAGGI had control of the game early, lost their way in the middle stages and almost snatched victory from the jaws of defeat late in the last quarter at Moe on Saturday.

But the game against bottom side Drouin, which had been moved to the Ted Summerton Reserve, due to Drouin’s resurfacing project, was ultimately the ‘one that got away’ from Power.

A ‘play on’ call which robbed Cooper McInnes of the go-ahead shot from close range late and a push in the back near the boundary line were chances deep in the last quarter, but Wonthaggi will rue other gilt-edged opportunities earlier and it was Drouin which seized its moments.

Big Denver Lund threw a speculative boot at the bouncing ball which connected for a goal halfway through the last quarter and the Hawks’ best player, Seb Amoroso, ran free to kick the sealer for an 11-point win, their first of the season.

Match report: Drouin started better to the town end goals and were moving the ball well through Amoroso and Kaiden Walmsley with Arli Fleming busy around the flanks.

They kicked the first within the opening minute through Walmsley following a free kick and despite a few promising attacks by Wonthaggi in the intervening period, they got the next one as well, after 13 minutes.

Riley Wierzbicki led up to a pass by Tomas Unferdorben and Drouin was getting value for effort in the scoring zone.

But Wonthaggi’s on-ballers were starting to get their fair share, and they rattled on the next four, appearing to take control of the contest.

Brodie Mabilia was working like an extra ruck rover after taking the taps against twin Drouin talls Riley Wierzbicki or Denver Lund, while Kyle Yann, Ryan Sparkes, Noah Anderson, Kaj Patterson, Hunter Tiziani and Josh Bates were also busy.

Kyle Reid was into his work down back, either intercept marking or punching clear, Jayden Burns, Reeve Moresco and Jye Gilmour were playing their roles in defence too and Wonthaggi started to return fire on the scoreboard.

The first came from a nice snap on the angle by Hunter Tiziani, started by Ryan Sparkes, before a brave aerial effort by Cade Brown was rewarded with a free kick and goal.

Patterson to a leading McInnes looked promising without result, but with the Power forwards applying commendable forward pressure they forced a ball-up where McInnes sharked his own tap right in front of the posts and slotted it through for number three.

Straight out of the next centre ball-up, in one of the Power’s best passages of play for the day, Bates and Sparkes combined to get it to the running Yann, on to a leading Jai Williams and 
finally James Lewis for a goal just before the first break.

Soon after the restart, Bates, Lewis and Anderson combined to get it forward to where Jaxon Williams took a great contested mark right next to the goalpost and should have kicked the opener from close range but sprayed it into the post.

It was something of a sliding doors moment in the match as Drouin started to even up the contest and then surge ahead with seven goals to two across the next two quarters.

Trailing by 20 points at the start of the last quarter, Wonthaggi Power had the job in front of them, especially given that the goals had dried up. It got worse quickly when Seb Amoroso banged one through but after a game-changing tackle by Andrew McNeel, Power seemed to find their mojo again.

With the play pinballing between Kyle Reid and his defensive unit at one end, and Kye Quirk and the likes of Ben Tranfield at the other it was some time before anyone got a goal until Wonthaggi’s McInnes kicked one on the run from range.

In a crucial moment, to keep a surging Power at bay, Drouin’s Noah Lafrantz booted long and big Lund kicked it out of midair for a goal to protect the lead.

But Wonthaggi were coming, with Tiziani getting the reply within seconds.

Still three goals adrift halfway through, the Power had to make the most of every chance and both Jaxon Williams and Cooper McInnes missed set shots before Noah Lafrantz took his chance against the run of play.

Now Power was four goals behind with only 10 minutes to play.

But they weren’t done yet. Josh Bates to McInnes on the lead for a goal had the Power up and about again. A great tackle by Anderson, good play by Mabilia and then a goal to Ollie Dawson and they were less than two goals behind.

Only seconds later, Mabilia scrambled it out of the centre to Lewis and on to Jaxon Williams who kicked a beauty. There was still plenty of time left with excitement levels high around the boundary.

The Power peppered the forward line which had been bolstered with some of the Hawks’ better players, and when Tiziani passed to McInnes, they looked to have their chance to take the lead by a point but it was “play on” and the moment was lost.

Not long after that Kyle Reid clashed heads with a teammate and was helped from the ground, blood streaming from a deep gash, but with two players down at a crucial moment, Drouin ran the ball to where Amoroso strolled in and kicked the winner.

The Hawks stacked the contests and slowed the play on Powers’ half forward flank and held on for their first victory of the season.