By Abby Collins
Wilston Grange proved a Gorillas roar can be louder than a Lion’s in their match against Palm Beach Currumbin on Saturday.
Walking off their home ground with the win, the Gorillas have added a much needed four points to their seasons tally.
The home crowd was electric for the club’s Ladies Day event, cheering on their senior men as they secured an impressive win against the third-placed Lions, with the final score reading 17.10 (112) to 7.10 (52) in favour of the home team.
The match began with a fiercely contested first quarter, the pressure of both sides palpable from the sidelines.
William Martyn, Hugh Fidler, and Jake Fazldeen opened the scoring for the Gorillas, while Blair Rubock and Cory Beaman responded for the Lions.
As the quarter ended, the teams were neck and neck, a two-point margin between them.
The second quarter saw the Gorillas begin to assert their dominance.
Despite a brief lead change off a Blair Rubock major, Fazldeen’s back-to-back goals helped the Gorillas regain control.
Daniel Bowles and Jacquin Mifsud further extended the lead, ending the half with the scoreboard reading 7.5 (47) to 3.4 (22) in favour of the home team.
The Gorillas’ momentum continued to build in the second half.
Their backline, featuring Jackson Mills, Daniel Lanthois, Billy Richardson, and Daniel Weetra, proved impenetrable, thwarting the Lions’ increasingly desperate attempts to score.
Jack Fazldeen’s youthful energy and pest-like presence on the field further disrupted the Lions’ game plan.
Despite Tom Hickey’s dominance in the ruck for Palm Beach Currumbin, the Lions struggled to convert opportunities in their forward 50.
Ethan Sekac and Fred Valpied worked tirelessly in defence for the Lions, but the Gorillas’ offense proved too strong.
The fourth quarter saw Wilston Grange pull away decisively, with the home crowd’s energy fuelling their performance.
The Gorillas showcased their depth with nine different goal scorers, while the Lions relied heavily on Rubock and Beaman for their points.
The home teams efforts across all four quarters were praised by a very happy coach Brent Moloney.
“This win gives us belief that we can compete with the top four teams,” he said.
“We’ve got to stay consistent, and if we play like that for four quarters, we can beat anyone.
“We were very pleased with our boys four quarters of effort.
“We needed 22 contributors to win, and we got that.”
Coach Moloney was happy to see players shine all across the field making this win a true team effort.
“We could have put 15 players in our best players list,” said Moloney.
“When it all clicks like that, we can beat teams like Palm Beach.
“We got that click; Jackson Mills was probably our best on ground. Lachlan Rhook who played across half back was outstanding too. Pearce in the ruck competed all day against one of the best rucks in the competition. Down forward Daniel Farry was in a fighting role for us, hitting the scoreboard.
“We just had winners all across the ground.”
The victory was a statement win for the Gorillas, demonstrating their potential and boosting their confidence heading into the pointy end of the season.
Watch out top runners, the Gorillas are coming for you.
“That is our potential,” Moloney said.
“That is what we can do, and now the players believe it too.
“Us coaches, we know what they can do, and they showed it in that game.
“It was a great win.”
Wilston Grange 3.1 7.5 12.5 17.10 (112)
Palm Beach Currumbin 2.3 3.4 5.9 7.10 (52)
Goals
Wilston Grange Fazldeen 4, Mifsud 3, Fidler 2, Martyn 2, Farry 2, Rosenbrock, Bowles, McFayden, Mathieson
Palm Beach Currumbin Rubock 4, Beaman 2, Sekac
Best Players
Wilston Grange Jackson Mills, Lachlan Rhook, William Martyn, Daniel Farry, Matthew Pearce, Daniel Bowles
Palm Beach Currumbin Ty Fitzgerald, Fred Valpied, Marcus White, Thomas Thynne, Tom Hickey, Blair Rubock
Other games
Surfers Paradise v Redland Victoria Point
Surfers Paradise 3.2 6.4 8.7 10.11 (71)
Redland Victoria Point 3.3 6.4 10.8 12.15 (87)
Goals
Surfers Paradise Fraser 4, Kennedy 2, Ireland, Jones, Millane, Reardon
Redland Victoria Point Hammelmann 5, Smith 3, Huddy 2, Brown, Cameron
Best Players
Surfers Paradise
Redland-Victoria Point Campbell Aston, Dylan Smith, Ethan Petterwood, Matt Hammelmann, Jarrod Huddy, Scott Miller
Maroochydore v Broadbeach
Maroochydore 4.3 5.4 6.8 11.8 (74)
Broadbeach 4.1 7.5 10.9 14.13 (97)
Goals
Maroochydore Cavallaro 3, Scholard 2, Bosveld, Gallop, Kangur, Stewart, Thomas , Wilson
Broadbeach Gray 3, Addinsall, Bishop, Bowman, Chadwick, Dawson, Erickson, Harmelin, Harrington, Hitchcock, ONeill, Reeves
Best Players
Maroochydore Harrison Ronchi, Max McDonald, Hudson Vivian, Bradley McDonald, Aaron Wilson, Hunter Moore
Broadbeach Finlay Gray, Max Hudson, Riley Bowman, Jack Haggar, Corey Hitchcock, Beau Addinsall
Noosa v Aspley
Noosa 0.2 3.2 3.4 5.6 (36)
Aspley 9.2 13.5 18.8 22.9 (141)
Goals
Noosa Mure 2, Pettigrove, Rogers
Aspley Connor Stackelberg 9, Peppin 4, Cody Stackelberg 3, Coombes 2, Mckenzie 2, crawley, O’Dwyer
Best Players
Noosa Maverick Pettigrove, Lachlan Flagg, Jai Mure, Ethan Slaney, Tallis Buntain, Cooper Ogden
Aspley Lleyton Brown, Connor Stackelberg, Tom Templeton, Cody Stackelberg, Jordan Hayden, William Peppin
Mt Gravatt v Morningside
Mt Gravatt 1.0 2.0 3.3 4.6 (30)
Morningside 6.9 12.13 23.15 27.22 (184)
Goals
Mt Gravatt Blood 2, Griffiths, Smith
Morningside Purslow 5, Waters 5, Cameron-reeves 3, Milford 3, Dadds 2, Lohamann 2, Martin 2, Godfrey, Greenaway, Pendlebury, Swann, Winton
Best Players
Mt Gravatt Rafe Priestley, Austin Brent, Robert Blood, Jackson Griffiths, Fletcher Clare, Benjamin Costa
Morningside Tommy Horne, Kai Purslow, Wyatt Greenaway, Matthew Waters, Harry Taylor, Brad Hodge
Sherwood v Labrador
Sherwood 5.1 9.3 10.5 13.8 (86)
Labrador 4.2 6.3 7.5 13.6 (84)
Goals
Sherwood Fletcher 4, Bulley 2, Hude 2, Giles, Gillet, Harris, Knight, Nelson
Labrador Aiden Fyfe 5, Bristow 2, Alex Fyfe 2, back, Derrington, Krok, Nicholls
Best Players
Sherwood Will Fletcher, Liam Hude, Ethan Harris, Oliver Cruice, Will Cruice, Jack Austin
Labrador Aiden Fyfe, Bailey Brown, Jayden Young, Charlie Offermans, Jay Foon, Jack Turner
