Sacred Heart emerges from tough Scotch matchup with eighth straight win in SAAS college footy
College leaders Sacred Heart played hard and tough footy to secure a convincing comeback win against an inspired Scotch outfit. See all the reports from round 11.
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Sacred Heart College continued its impressive undefeated run in 2021 while Immanuel recorded just its second win of the year in an entertaining round of SAAS college footy.
Here are The Messenger’s reports from Saturday’s division one matches:
SACRED HEART 11.5 (71)
SCOTCH 7.4 (46)
Sacred Heart fought hard to record its eighth straight victory this season, staying undefeated despite a strong start from Scotch.
Hearts coach Jon Symonds said his team’s ability to absorb pressure and eventually take over the contest was key to their win.
“I was really happy with our ability to hang in the contest and then storm home to get the win,” Symonds said.
“Scotch was really good early, kicked the first three and had us on the ropes a bit but we managed to find some rhythm with our movement and win a bit more of the inside ball as well.”
Kobe Ryan, Lachlan Scannell and Cruz Polkinghorne were standout for Hearts as they gained control through the second and third terms and held the hosts to a low score.
“We tackled really well and found a way to win the footy and get our running game going, which gave goal kickers like Magor, Whitelum and Moir good looks at it,” Symonds said.
“It was a pleasing result because it was quite a tough, hard and physical contest.”
Symonds said the win set his side up well for its intercol clash with Rostrevor this weekend.
“It’s a real standout fixture on our calendar and the boys are really excited to play Rostrevor in front of a home crowd,” he said.
“We want to keep our winning run going and to hopefully be able to do it in a big game like that is what it’s all about. It won’t be hard to motivate the lads this week.”
IMMANUEL 9.13 (67)
PEMBROKE 8.9 (57)
Immanuel recorded its second win of the season on Saturday, scraping over the line against Pembroke in a neck-and-neck affair.
Leading by two kicks at the final break, the hosts relinquished and gained the lead three times in the last quarter before narrowly kicking away.
Forward James Reuther was the matchwinner, booting multiple goals in the final term and executing a dramatic smother to set up another major.
Immanuel coach Mark Bickley was thrilled with his team’s persistence.
“To go behind multiple times and then come back to win showed a lot of character,” Bickley said.
“Pembroke was strong and controlled the centre square, but our defence held up and we managed to score off intercepts.”
The performance of Reuther was much-needed for Immanuel, which lost its other key forward Lachy Treadwell early in the second quarter to a hamstring injury.
“It was an amazing last quarter and James (Reuther) was definitely our winner in front of goals,” Bickley said.
“The confidence we’ve got from the win now is going to be big for the rest of the season.”
ROSTREVOR 12.16 (88)
ST MICHAEL’S 8.8 (56)
A huge fourth quarter sealed a challenging win for Rostrevor against St Michael’s in a high-pressure game.
Standout players Harvey Pedler – who kicked four majors for the game – and Charles Kemp were integral in the last term.
“Our performance in the last quarter was really positive,” Rostrevor coach James Allan said.
“St Michael’s’ pressure was outstanding for the whole game and I thought they forced a lot of turnovers leading to goals, but in the last term we had a bit more fluidity with our movement and got it in quickly to our forwards.”
Rostrevor’s first-use paid dividends, the visitors scoring 5.8 (38) in the final term.
Allan was thrilled with the amount of chances on goal the team created, despite a low conversion rate.
“On another day you nail most of those goals, a lot were pretty gettable,” he said.
“Overall I was really happy with our output and what we managed to create, especially in that final term.”
Rostrevor now looks ahead to its Intercol matchup with Sacred Heart, a game it is are well-prepared for.
“We’re looking for more and more guys to stand up which week, and we’re seeing that,” Allan said.
“We’ll be playing a dominant school but we’re confident we can put up a really good fight.”
ST PETER’S 14.9 (93)
WESTMINSTER 11.7 (73)
Fourteen-year-old half-back Jett Hasting was the standout performer for St Peter’s in its win over Westminster after the young-gun kept his side in it throughout the first half.
Coach Sam Elliott was satisfied with his team’s effort, the hosts kicking away in the fourth after trailing at three-quarter time.
“It was a real arm wrestle and I thought the boys were a bit too revved up at the final break but I was happy with how we managed to calm down and get back to our brand of footy,” Elliott said.
“Hasting, who is only in year 9, was huge for us and was best on ground for a lot of the game.
“He’s a big kid and he has a beautiful kick. He really made it clear that he’s going to be a terrific player for us going forward.”
Elliott credited Westminster for its fight and determination, which he believed caused his team to become undisciplined and make errors.
“They played really well and we started to lose the plot for a bit there in a lot of ways,” he said.
“It was very unlike us, but the composure we managed to show after that to get the win was reassuring.”
The challenging win now has St Peter’s well-poised for an intercol game against Prince Alfred, this year being the 150th anniversary of the rivalry.
“We’re all looking forward to it and we’ve got some momentum now but we’re very much a team of routine, so, while there’s pressure this week, we’re going to treat it as business as usual,” Elliott said.
PRINCE ALFRED COLLEGE 22.14 (146)
TRINITY 3.2 (20)
Princes were dominant from the first bounce against Trinity, the midfield running riot and their forwards capitalising from smooth movement.
The team had multiple contributors around the ground and in front of goal, with captain Harry Tunkin, Declan Hortle, and Kane McAuliffe standouts.
“We started pretty well but really managed to lift in the second half,” PAC coach Matt Slade said.
“Declan Hortle played really well through tap work and read where the opposition was setting up – I thought we managed to capitalise from that.
“We moved the ball well and our intensity was really good, so I’m happy with the performance.”
While the Reds enjoyed their big win, they set their attention to intercol quickly after the win.
Slade said the team is determined after its narrow loss in last year’s fixture.
“It’s a great opportunity to win it back, we’re looking forward to it,” he said.
“They’re a great team and have a lot of talent so we’ll need to be at our best.
“We all love the competition it brings though so we can’t wait.”
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