By Abby Collins
Claws were out for Round 9’s Match of the Round. The young Broadbeach Cats line-up pounced on their Mt Gravatt opponents, taking home another four points to add to their season tally.
In a very high-scoring match, the Vultures put up a valiant fight in the second half but didn’t have enough firepower to overcome the 100-point margin at halftime.
“I was really happy with the boys’ effort in the second half, but unfortunately, an 18-goal deficit is hard to claw back from,” Vultures coach Hamish Mitchell said.
The Cats’ dominance and skills led to a resounding 28.18 (186) to 7.9 (51) victory at Southside Toyota Oval.
Controlling play from the outset, the Cats started strongly, with two goals finding the big sticks within the first six minutes.
Setting the pace for the game was Tasmanian sharpshooter Thomas Reeves, slotting five of his seven remarkable goals in the opening two quarters. Reeves’ snaps on goal seemed effortless as they sailed through the posts time and again.
Taine Dawson’s superior experience in the ruck had Broadbeach controlling the midfield action, the Cats relishing the heavy ball possession in the first half.
Dawson’s ruling of the ruck came to a swift end at halftime due to an ankle injury, his big shoes filled by debutant Bailey Wood.
The ruck contests evened out as both sides seemed to lack midfield height to command this area of the game.
Despite the Cats’ dominance, the Vultures refused to surrender, ramping up their efforts in the third quarter.
Matthew Hardess, one of Mt Gravatt’s more experienced players, set the precedent for the Vultures’ second-half resurgence with a bone-crushing tackle paired with a spectacular goal in the first few minutes of play.
Kaeden Corboy added to the energy being dished out by Hardess when he slotted a goal to complement his teammate’s effort less than a minute earlier.
Corboy’s marking prowess, alongside teammates Michael Gordon and Robert Blood’s defensive resilience, enabled the Vultures to start building pressure against the fierce Cats midfield.
This pressure slowed down the Cats’ first-half onslaught, with only 10 goals from the Cats and six from the Vultures in the second half, a more even matchup of talent than the 18 goals to one of the first two quarters.
In the end, the Cats’ depth, experience, and size proved too much for the Vultures.
The home side’s second-half redemption showed their true potential, something we can expect to see more of this season after the confidence-building second half.
However, the 18-goal deficit from the first half proved insurmountable.
“We have a very young side,” said Vultures coach Hamish Mitchell.
“Obviously, Hardess and Blood are some of our more experienced players; they played well alongside Corboy. Corboy really ramped up the efforts for us in the second half.”
A contest for contest exhibition of a second half displayed the potential of the young Vultures side, making Hamish Mitchell a very happy coach.
“When going up against a bigger and more experienced side, it’s challenging,” he said.
“The second half was 10 goals to six, much more even than what we played in the first half. “We brought up the pressure on their ball carriers and through our midfield.
“I am very proud of all the boys’ efforts.”
The Cats walk away with the four points in their back pocket, while the Vultures can be proud of what was possibly their best half of footy this season, slowing down their opponents’ work rate.
Mt Gravatt 0.2 1.3 5.5 7.6 (48)
Broadbeach 9.3 18.6 23.12 28.18 (186)
Goals
Mt Gravatt Smith 2, Blood, Clare, Corboy, Finlay, Gordon
Broadbeach Reeves 7, Gray 4, Hitchcock 3, Hull 3, Butler 2, Filippone 2, ONeill 2, Hill, Mackenzie, Murray, O’Brien, B Wood
Best Players
Mt Gravatt Michael Gordon, Robert Blood, Thomas Hurst, Fletcher Clare, Xavier Smith, Kaeden Corboy
Broadbeach Thomas Reeves, Finlay Gray, Jai Murray, Brandon Chadwick, Blake Erickson, Joel Filippone
Other Games
Palm Beach Currumbin v Aspley
Palm Beach Currumbin 1.2 3.6 9.9 15.13 (103)
Aspley 6.8 9.13 12.15 12.18 (90)
Goals
Palm Beach Currumbin Rubock 4, Cilmi 2, North 2, Beaman, Beikoff-Smart, Dawson, Fitzgerald, Hickey, O’Brien, Stafford
Aspley Stackleberg 4, Dodge 2, Watson 2, Craven, Crawley, Myers, O’Dwyer
Best Players
Palm Beach Currumbin Tom Hickey, Salvatore Cilmi, Ty Fitzgerald, Blair Rubock, Tai Hayes, Brad Stafford
Aspley Brandon Batchelor, Errin Wasley-Black, Mitchell Crawley, Connor Stackelberg, Liam Dawson, Matthew Payne
Labrador v Surfers Paradise
Labrador 3.2 7.4 11.6 17.8 (110)
Surfers Paradise 0.5 1.5 6.6 8.9 (57)
Goals
Labrador Derrington 4, Bristow 2, Foon 2, Fyfe 2, Goldsmith 2, Krok 2, Lee, Pearce, Simpson
Surfers Paradise Patten 3, Hall, Jones, Shea
Best Players
Labrador Tom Miller, Aiden Fyfe, Jake Goldsmith, Jed Riddle, Bailey Brown, Jesh Morgan
Surfers Paradise Zac Smith, John Boxer, Ewan Macpherson, Joe Kennedy, Jamison Shea, Connor Matheson
Wilston Grange v Maroochydore
Wilston Grange 6.1 7.6 15.10 21.13 (139)
Maroochydore 2.4 4.5 6.8 8.12 (60)
Goals
Wilston Grange Farry 3, Manly 3, Baker 2, Mcgregor 2, Raines 2, Abberley, Bailey, Bowles, McGinness, Mifsud, Mills, Rodrick, Rosenbrock, Stewart
Maroochydore Wilson 3, Moore 2, Gallop, Jacka, Kangur
Best Players
Wilston Grange Zach Westerberg, Jack Manly, William Martyn, Tahj Abberley, Jackson Mills, Kailem Baker
Maroochydore Bradley McDonald, Max McDonald, Aaron Wilson, Joshua Govan, Harrison Ronchi, Tom O’Leary
Redland-Victoria Point v Noosa
Redland-Victoria Point 8.1 15.6 20.10 23.14 (152)
Noosa 0.3 3.3 6.4 10.4 (64)
Goals
Redland Victoria Point Hammelmann 6, Cameron 4, Brown 3, Johnson 3, Reeves 2, Campbell, Carbone, Finch, O’Sullivan, Prokos
Noosa Freeman 5, Niddrie 2, Gilfillan, Langlan, Pettigrove
Best Players
Redland Victoria Point Campbell Aston, Bradley Murdock, Adrian Williams, Scott Miller, William Johnson, Luke O’Sullivan
Noosa Jonathan Freeman, Mac Johnston, Tait Niddrie, Maverick Pettigrove, Nathan Horbury, Ryan Crisp
Morningside v Sherwood
Morningside 3.3 7.6 13.9 24.12 (156)
Sherwood 2.2 5.4 5.5 7.7 (49)
Goals
Morningside Cockatoo 5, Downie 5, Dadds 4, Egan 2, Waters 2, Castle, Hodge, Horne, Lloyd, Lohmann, Pinchen
Sherwood Austin 2, Fletcher 2, Hude 2, Gillett
Best Players
Morningside Brad Hodge, Cam Lovig, Nakia Cockatoo, Dylan Swann, Jacob Lohmann, Garrett Mcdonagh
Sherwood Jack Austin, Dan Edwards, Oliver Cruice, Will Cruice, Julian Cruice, Isaac McCarthy
