Wayne Siekman praises former side, Hawks end 842-day winless streak
In a thrilling encounter at Crathern Park, the Manunda Hawks broke the drought and secured their first victory in 842 days with a commanding 55-88 win over the CTB Bulldogs.
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In a thrilling encounter at Crathern Park, the Manunda Hawks broke their drought and secured their first victory in 842 days with a commanding 8.7 (55) to 13.10 (88) win over the CTB Bulldogs.
The game marked a long-awaited triumph for the Hawks, who have struggled in recent seasons but showcased their resilience and effort in a four-quarter performance.
Former Hawks coach Wayne Siekman, who was closely following the match via stream in Brisbane, said he was thrilled for the club.
“It’s a reward for the team and the hard work they’ve put in over the last 18 months,” he said. “It’s great to see the things they’ve learned, the style of play, and that they did the basic fundamentals really well on Saturday. They were able to weather the storm early in the first quarter, then gain some dominance. At the start of the last quarter, the CTB Bulldogs came out and kicked the first goal, but the Hawks were able to settle themselves and control the game until the end. It was a four-quarter effort and a win they deserved.”
Siekman said one of the best parts of watching the game was not having to heavily rely on leaders Troy Barbero and James Boyd for the result. “They both played their role yesterday, and for the first time, the side had 15 to 18 players contribute and play their role, which is a great result for the future.”
PNG recruit David Topeni had a remarkable match in the backline, collecting 20 disposals, four marks, and two tackles. The half-back was a player Siekman made extended efforts to bring to the club during the 2023 season, finally arriving for his club debut over the weekend.
“We’ve been working on bringing Topeni in all year, and he was supposed to come a month earlier but couldn’t quite get all the paperwork sorted,” Siekman said. “He was a very good addition to the team, and it was great to see William Aisi in his first senior game back.”
Captain Troy Barbero was relentless in his efforts, heroic at times crashing into every contest and leading by example.
“Three years is a long time and now towards the end of my career it started to feel like there was a chance I wasn’t goingto win another game of football,” Barbero said.
“Massive relief to get a bit of reward for effort, super proud of the boys. Everyone played their role yesterday, we didn’trely on two or three blokes in the midfield, everyone contributed. We had 23 blokes that were just desperate for that winand you could just feel it and see it.”
Frank Fires Six Home
Ezekiel Frank was the standout sharpshooter, delivering an incredible six-goal haul that featured numerous remarkable marks.
Occasionally deployed as the spare in defence, Hawks lined him up forward for four quarters.
He was unstoppable in the second quarter, booting three goals to shift the tide of the contest.
Fellow forward Chris Moloney was outstanding with three goals.
At the other end of the ground, Bulldogs full forward Luke James booted five goals against Hawks in their last fixture inround eight.
With fullback Jack West injured, Hawks defender Alex Galea stepped up and kept James quiet.
“Alex played a huge game for us,” Barbero said.
“LJ always kicks bags against us and with (Jack West) out, we knew Bulldogs would target James one-on-one when they went forward.
“Alex got the big job and he won almost every one-on-one. He doesn’t need many touches but as a lockdown defender he had aterrific game.”
Donning the number one guernsey, Joshua Gardner had an exceptional game on the wing.
Dog Day Afternoon
It’s a sign of the times for the CTB Bulldogs when tenacious teenager Mitchell Hurst was up for the contest more than half his experienced teammates.
It’s a side clearly divided with sections of the side blowing up at their teammates after every error.
A quarter time spray by coach Mark Horne didn’t appear to shift the performance and there were countless unnecessary turnovers and skill errors throughout the first half.
Midfielders Dom Booth, Matthew Blake and captain Ben Finnerty are some of the rare few who can hold their heads high.
Rising key defender Joshua Butson was solid in the backline, but it doesn’t currently seem like an environment for both Butsonand Hurst to enhance their development.
New football operations manager Mark Perkins will have a huge job pushing the Bulldogs back into the top four in 2025.
With Perkins admirable experience as football manager at the Aspley Hornets, where he oversaw the development of BrisbaneLions captain Harris Andrews, he is more than capable of shifting the tide but a huge off-season awaits the former Collingwoodmidfielder.
PNG Punch
Hawks were powered by a strong attacking and defensive punch from the Hawks PNG contingent.
Livewire forward Kila Rawali, brothers Matthew and Mitchel White, William Aisi, David Topeni and Tyler Gorogo were outstandingthroughout the game, with all six guns sharing links to the PNG region.
First-time Hawk Topeni and club veteran Aisi came into the side and strengthened the backline, repelling multiple attacksand rebounding hard out of defensive 50.
Explosive forward Rawali booted a crucial third quarter snap that helped shift the momentum back in Hawks favour after DanSmith got the Dogs going with two goals straight.
Hawks Hunt down the Dogs
A dominant four-goal performance by key forward Kris Hunt and Jo Butland contender Sophia Fowler has pushed the Hawks women’sto a 7.4 (46) to 4.7 (31) victory over the CTB Bulldogs women’s at Crathern Park.
After a cagey first quarter, Hawks shot out to a 30-point margin at halftime thanks to goals by Hawks leading goal kickerRemie Bampton (17 for the season), Maddison Giudice and a double by Hunt (11 goals for the season).
Fowler was shifted from midfield into defence and combined with experienced club legends Kareena White and Jennifer Robinsonto repel a number of attacks and keep the Bulldogs goalless at halftime.
However, Bulldogs made a charge in the third quarter, booting three goals to nothing with cunning forwards Angelina Brim andDianne Crep finishing with two goals each for the match.
Crep’s fourth quarter goal brought the scoreline to four points, but two clutch goals in the final five minutes by Hunt securedthe victory.
Bulldogs ball magnet Grace Frost and ruck Mya Thomas were strong, while former captain Brooklyn Lancaster and Yuka Shiromaboth made solid contributions.
With the race for finals heating up, the win puts Hawks firmly in third place while CTB Bulldogs, who have played an extragame, remain four points below the South Cairns Cutters after their bye.
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Originally published as Wayne Siekman praises former side, Hawks end 842-day winless streak
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