Langhorne Creek kept their finals hopes alive with a thrilling two-point win against Myponga/Sellicks during round 14 action in the Great Southern Football League (GSFL) on Saturday. The Hawks sit just one win outside the top-five with four games left in the minor round, ahead of a big clash with McLaren next week. Langhorne Creek led by 19 points at quarter time, 22 points at halftime and still led by 20 points at the last change and they looked well on their way to victory. The Mudlarks, with the home crowd behind them, kicked three goals in the last quarter but came up just short as the ‘Creeks’ won 10.10 (70) to 10.8 (68). Caleb Howell (3) and Jake Dominish (2) were the multiple goalkickers for the Hawks, while Jake Spinks (3) and Ben Kennedy (2) were the main goalkickers for the Mudlarks. Matt Dominish, Howell, Jake Dominish, Malakai Kartinyeri and Brodie O’Dea were named best players for Langhorne Creek. Luke Whitford, Ben Kennedy, Connor Sampson, Jake Spinks and Cooper Gilbert were best for Myponga/Sellicks. 

McLaren remained undefeated after grinding out a 16-point win at Strathalbyn. The game was tight throughout with ‘Strath’ leading by three points at the last change, and the Eagles’ undefeated season looked under threat. The classy McLaren unit steadied, kicking five goals to two in the final term, to win 13.12 (90) to 11.8 (74). Jordan Mutton kicked four goals for McLaren, while Mark Tucker, Ben Simounds and Cooper Machin each kicked two goals for Strathalbyn. Codey Ellison, Joel Vandeleur, Brett Ellis, Sam Lawrie and Kaine Hopkins were best for the Eagles. Tucker, Richard O’Grady, Adam Clark, Jacob Wright and Austin McFarlane were best for the Roosters.

Encounter Bay won their eighth game of the season to remain in fifth spot after defeating Mount Compass by 62 points on Saturday. The Bays will take on Strathalbyn this Saturday in an early ‘elimination final’. On Saturday, Encounter Bay led at every change to win 19.7 (121) to 9.5 (59). Ben Davis kicked six goals in a best-on-ground performance for Encounter Bay, while Tom Pinyon was the standout forward for the Bulldogs with five majors. Joining Davis in the best players for the Bays were Cohen Pettitt, Lachlan Williams, Cory Gamble, Callum Tonkin and Tyson Neale. Best players for ‘Compass’ included Nathan Hicks, Adam Hunter and Tom Vitkunas.

Victor Harbor consolidated their spot in the top-five with a percentage-boosting 91-point win at Yankalilla. Unfortunately the game was brought to an end early, due to an injury during the third quarter. The victory was set up by a dominant first half as the ‘Roos led by 72 points at the long break, before extending their lead to 91 points before the unfortunate injury led to the game being called off. The final scores were Victor Harbor 16.15 (111) to Yankalilla 3.2 (20). Jackson Elmes and James Mulhern kicked four goals each for ‘Victor’, while Matt James slotted two majors for the Tigers. Best players for the much-improved Victor Harbor outfit were Elmes, Lachlan Borrillo, Jesse McKinnon, Zac Dowling and Ben Yeomans. Yankalilla’s best included Angus Weir, Adam Hunt and Kaleigh Fitzgerald.

Willunga consolidated their spot in the top-three following a crushing 177-point win against Goolwa/Port Elliot. Willunga led by 77 points at halftime, before kicking a further 18 goals to three in the second half to win 32.20 (212) to 5.5 (35). The Demons had an amazing 15 different goalkickers with Darcy Scott (6), Daniel Bass (4) and Tyson Hoffmann (4) leading the way. Dale Cuthbert and Trent Griffen kicked two goals each for the Magpies. Hoffmann, Cam Hutchens, Danny Juckers, Sam Renney and Job Colwell were named as best players for Willunga. The Magpies were best served by Rory Hausser, Fred Nissen, Cuthbert, Frazer Hayward and Jalen Pryor. 

Ladder after Round 14

McLaren 28, Willunga 20, Myponga/Sellicks 20, Victor Harbor 18, Encounter Bay 16, Strathalbyn 14, Langhorne Creek 14, Mount Compass 8, Yankalilla 2, Goolwa/Port Elliot 0.

Round 15 Fixtures (Saturday 30 July)

Mount Compass v Victor Harbor

Encounter Bay v Strathalbyn

McLaren v Langhorne Creek

Yankalilla v Goolwa/Port Elliot

Myponga/Sellicks v Willunga