Sport
19 June, 2026
Weather was tall order
CONVENTIONAL wisdom would have it that weather conditions like teams faced last Saturday would favour the little blokes.
CONVENTIONAL wisdom would have it that weather conditions like teams faced last Saturday would favour the little blokes.
Tell that to Marong ruckman Michael Bradbury.
The big man dominated the centre square and around the ground, and also found time to kick seven goals in one of the performances of the season.
Full forward Shaun Knott added four goals of his own as the Panthers won on the back of a big first-half performance against a gritty Mitiamo outfit.
Only four goals in total were scored after the main break, with the conditions continuing to deteriorate and the much-used Malone Park surface becoming heavier and more slippery.
The Superoos battled hard all day, but Marong was never going to be caught after holding a 29-point lead at half-time, and the visitors could kick only 1.3 in the second half.
The win, and Bridgewater’s loss to Macorna, sees the Panthers on top of the ladder, a position they have been very familiar with for the past four and a half seasons.
Their top goalkicker this season, Cooper Hale, did not play, but Bradbury and Knott more than made up for his absence.
Jimy Gadsden was his usual busy self in the midfield along with David Johnstone, while coach Luke Lougoon – seemingly inevitably – was Miti’s best on the day, playing a running role off half-back.
Just two matches back from a hamstring injury, Lougoon looked sore at times, but his skills stood out in the gloom.
Marong begins the league’s second round of matches with a trip to Serpentine to play the struggling Bears, while Mitiamo travels to Calivil for a game that will see one of the teams move to two wins for the season.
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