General News
13 June, 2024
Desperately closed to pulling off major upset
BOORT was on track for an upset victory when pacey forward James Keeble booted two quick goals mid-way through the last quarter of Saturday’s North Central clash against Donald. The Pies were 10 points up with momentum not seen since keeping...
BOORT was on track for an upset victory when pacey forward James Keeble booted two quick goals mid-way through the last quarter of Saturday’s North Central clash against Donald.
The Pies were 10 points up with momentum not seen since keeping Donald to a solitary behind in the opening term.
Keeble, Jhye Baddeley-Kelly and Tom Potter were running the ball, tackling and bustling with a ferocity that showed they had the scent of victory.
Sloppy play that had allowed Donald back into the closely-contested game looked like being erased from the game plan. Boort was suddenly faster, taking the first opportunity and not fumbling on the second or third.
But the more fancied Royals made the most of luck, a free kick in front of goal to Jamie Papalia had Donald four points down.
Boort headed straight into the forward 50 for two rushed behinds and a third shot at goal that fell short during a frenetic 10 minutes of play.
Blake Grant won the ball across half-forward and put Donald back into the lead only to see Boort roll the dice one last time into its forward zone for another rushed behind.
The final minutes of play were owned by the Royals but the close checking from Boort defenders saw wayward kicks that failed to separate the scoreline.
Tall Andrew Browne was among Donald’s genuine four-quarter contributors who helped bring his team back into the game during the second quarter.
It took until mid-way through that term for the Royals to get their noses in front for the first time. Grant and Browne led an attack that temporarily left Boort stunned and abandoning the game plan. One passage saw Boort use seven kicks in defence just move forward and then was only rewarded with a behind.
Early third quarter goals for Donald hinted that Boort was about to capitulate after putting in a solid showing.
The risk of being overrun was stemmed by Keeble, Potter, and Alex Cockerell.
Baddeley-Kelly levelled scores just before time-on only for Noah Berry to put the Royals up on the siren.
Apart from a dominant opening quarter by Boort, both sides played in patches.
Momentum was hard to generate and at times flow was dictated by the side making the least fumbles under pressure.
Goal-front accuracy and high tackles also cruelled Boort’s chances in pulling up an upset that would have seen it within reach of the top four.