Great Southern Football League - Round 18

Reigning premier Langhorne Creek has roared into third spot at the end of the minor round and have set up an intriguing Qualifying Final clash with Mount Compass on Saturday. The Hawks were sitting at 5-5 after 10 rounds but have put together eight wins in a row which includes the scalps of all finals contenders. On Saturday it was Victor Harbor which felt the Hawks power with Langhorne Creek winning at Victor 15.12 (102) to 10.6 (66). The Kangaroos started well and held an eight point advantage at the first break but then the Hawks took over in the second and third quarters, kicking nine goals to three to open up a match winning 32-point lead at the final change. The last term was even before Langhorne Creek won by 36 points. Caleb Howell kicked four goals and Lachie McGregor three for the victors while Sam Basham and Luke Davey kicked three goals each for Victor. Mitchell Cleggett was best on ground for the Hawks and he was well supported by McGregor and Howell. Zac Dowling, Michael Ross and Jack Lang were best for Victor Harbor.

Willunga wrapped up the minor premiership with a comfortable 51-point win at Strathalbyn. The home side started well but inaccurate kicking for goal (1.7) cost them a bigger lead than the 10-point advantage they enjoyed at the first change. Willunga awoke from their slumber and piled on seven unanswered goals in the second stanza to take a handy 33-point lead into the long break. A further six goals to three in the second half saw the final score blowout to 13.13 (91) to 4.16 (40) in the Demons favour. Billy Cook was best on ground for Willunga with four goals and he was supported by Sam Alexopoulos and Marcus Burdett. Ben Simounds was the only multiple goalkicker for the Roosters with two, taking his season tally to 57. Daniel Pegler, Riley Clamp and Joseph Slattery were amongst the best players for Strath.

Mount Compass tuned up for the finals with a 95-point demolition at home against Yankalilla. The home side started well to lead by 27 points at quarter time before the Tigers bounced back kicking six goals to four in the second quarter to go in just 14 points down at half-time. That appeared to fire the Bulldogs up as they kicked 16 goals to three in the second half to win 26.9 (165) to 11.4 (70). Tom Pinyon continued his amazing season, kicking 12 goals to take his season tally to 112. Ziggy Vitkunas kicked eight majors for the Bulldogs. He now has 72 goals for 2019. Jed Durdin was a star up forward for the Tigers kicking five goals. Best players for Mount Compass were Steven Copestick, skipper Adam Hunter and Ziggy Vitkunas while for Yankalilla Ben Shute, Xavier Gotch and Jono Lee were named amongst Yankalillas best.

McLaren finished their minor round campaign with a 29-point victory over Encounter Bay at McLaren Vale. The win saw the Eagles finish fourth and they will play Victor Harbor in the Elimination Final on Sunday. The game was tight for the first three quarters with McLaren holding a slim 10-point advantage at the final change. The home side pulled away in the last quarter kicking three unanswered goals to win 15.13 (103) to 11.8 (74). James Mathews kicked four and James Grimley three for McLaren while Nick Marshall was the only multiple goalkicker for Encounter Bay with three goals. 

Myponga-Sellicks got to sing their victory song for the first time in 364 days after a thrilling four point win over Goolwa-Elliot at Myponga. The Mudlarks got off to a flyer kicking six goals to one to lead by 30 points at quarter time. The joy was short lived for the home fans as the Magpies hit back in the second term to amazingly lead at half-time by a point. It was tight and tough in the third term with Goolwa-Port Elliot turning for home with a slender four point lead. In a fight to the end with the Mudlarks crowd roaring, the home side kicked two goals to one as the siren sounded for a 11.10 (76) to 10.12 (72) triumph. Bradley Clarke was best for the Mudlarks with three goals while Brock Godwin-Knott, Thomas Ferguson and Logan Payne kicked two goals each for the Magpies. Clarke was joined on the best players list for Myponga-Sellicks by Cambell Dahlitz and Scott Ogilvie with Ethan Cinc, Matthew Wiese and Brayden Miller named in the Magpies best players.

Final Ladder

Willunga 29 points, Mount Compass 27, Langhorne Creek 26, McLaren 24, Victor Harbor 24, Strathalbyn 20, Encounter Bay 14, Yankalilla 10, Goolwa-Port Elliot 4, Myponga-Sellicks 2.