The Hawks made their final drive north for the season to play at Dalton Park on Sunday against the Northern District Tigers in the GF.
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The Tigers scored first with a quick goal from the centre break. Kobi Tuan came off the bench and had an immediate impact in the forwards, scoring a goal to see the Hawks lead 9-7 at the first break.
The second quarter saw the Tigers kicking with the wind. Led by the skipper Liam Backo, the Hawks’ tackle pressure was immense. Calum MacDonell was hard at the footy putting on many heavy tackles.
Will Aiken, Lachy Brennan, and Rex Lee were able to sell the candy to the Tigers which saw the Hawks go into the long break ahead 29-21.
The field was like a furnace in the second half, as both sides started to feel the heat. The Tigers were good in the air and had clean hands.
The Hawks were effective at the stoppage and able to win the contested ball. Byron VanDyk’s speed saw him gather many possessions and catch the Tigers out numerous times.
The lads were gallant in their defeat and were true ambassadors for the game and their club.
- Dennis Oliver.
Dylan Art was also quick on the ground and had two great snaps on goal in the third quarter to see the Hawks up by three goals at the last change.
The last quarter saw a heavily contested style of footy, with a lot of stoppages. The Hawks held the ball in their 50 for some time but were unable to convert, despite the best efforts of the forward line.
With seven minutes left, the scores were level 47-a-piece. When the game was looking like it could be a draw, a controversial 50m penalty was gifted to the Tigers which saw them marched into the goal square putting them one-goal up.
The Hawks worked desperately on the ball in the final minutes. It was then that Lachy Brennan broke his collar bone. With the clock continuing to run down, the Hawks’ season came to an end, going down 8.5 (53) to 7.5 (47).
The lads were gallant in their defeat and were true ambassadors for the game and their club. This is especially a great achievement considering how many of the under 17s stepped up to play senior football this season. We made sure the boys wouldn’t let down the 17s this season, and they all backed up every week.