The Blackwood and Echunga Football Clubs played out a thrilling draw during Round 9 of the Mortgage Choice Hills Football League at U-Install-It Kitchens Oval last Saturday afternoon.

In a game which was a low scoring affair (and round which averaged 14.4 scoring shots per side) neither side able to play two successive good quarters of football. The Woods had five more scoring shots that the Demons but would be ruining missed opportunities in front of the big sticks kicking at 31.3% accuracy compared to 55.5% for the Demons. Accuracy has been an issue for the reigning premiers over the first half of the season where despite averaging the third most shots on goal in the competition (20.6) the side is only kicking 46.5% at goal, which is the lowest in the competition.

It’s the third draw for the Woods in the last two seasons with Coach Damien Salievic less than impressed in the rooms after the match. “It feels like more of a loss for us. We cannot afford to have a start like that and use all our efforts to get back into the game. At this level of football you just simply can’t do that.”

Under gloomy conditions the visiting Demons made a quick start, just as they did in Round 2 when the sides played. The Woods kicked the first behind of the match up the hill and into the breeze. It was was one of the only times they managed to get the ball inside their forward 50 for the quarter. Winning the ball around the midfield the Demons were able to put the usually reliable defence of the Woods under pressure with some great isolation of their forwards. Kicking four goals in a 10 minute period, the few travelling Demons supporters were very buoyant about their prospects of causing an upset.

Visibly unhappy at the first change, Damien Salievic let loose suggesting his players were beaten to the football and needed to switch on. It was the opposite in the Echunga group with Mick Duncan reinforcing team rules and suggest if everyone keeps doing their jobs they can win the game.

With the aid of the breeze, the Woods made a better start in the second quarter with Nick Homburg kicking the first major for the Woods after 4 minutes. With Blackwood midfielders Jacob McCarthy and Ryan Dijksman beginning to get their hands on the football around the contest, Blackwood was able to hold the ball onside their forward half for much of the term. Some inaccurate kicking from the home side kept the margin at three goals until the later half of the term when McCarthy, Homburg and Ryan Anderson all kicked goals. The three quick goals for the Woods propelled them into the leading heading into the main break.

The momentum in the game totally switched around in the second quarter with the Woods dominating the play much like the Demons did in the first. With the weather closing in during half time the supporters of both clubs huddled around the heaters in front of the clubrooms.

Despite the physical temperature dropping, the football was heating up. Both sides came out after half time looking to establish that match winning advantage. Going with the breeze, the Demons were able to continue the trend of all goals being scored at the bottom end of the oval. Kicking two majors late in the term the Demons took an eight point lead into the final break. The Demons were able to find an even spread of goal kickers during the game with the Woods putting a lot of time into keeping leading goal kicker Joel Aish quiet.

With the weather opening up in the third quarter an eight point lead at the final change was looking very ominous for the Demons. Like the first three quarters had panned out, the momentum shifted for a fourth time with the home side able to get early control of the ball in the final term. Dropping numbers behind the ball the Demons defended for their lives. The Woods were able to kick a couple of behinds in the early part of the term to draw the margin to an even six points. 100 gamer Daniel Bennetts then stepped up kicking his first major of the match to level up the scores with roughly seven minutes left on the clock.

Winning the next centre clearance, the Woods pushed the ball into the forward line. Standing strong, the Demons defence turned the ball over moving the ball up the outer wing. Moving the ball deep into the forward 50, it came to a one-on-one contest with Blackwood defender James Hopton who was playing his first game. Beaten by his opponent in the air the ball spilled over the ball with the Echunga player recovering first. The crowd held its breath as both players scrapped for the possession. The ball became loose and rolled towards the Echunga goal line as their supporters appealed for a holding the man free kick. Haydn Kenny managed to scramble back and rush a behind giving the Demons a one point lead. The Woods moved the ball straight down the middle with a long kick out from Kurt Thompson. They were able to move the ball forward scoring a behind with 22 minutes gone in the quarter. Echunga pushed a large number of players around the contest locking the ball inside the Blackwood forward 50 for the last two minutes of play until the siren sounded with scores locked a 41 points all.

In the rooms after the match Damien Salievic spoke in a stern manner. “We talked about several things before the game including making a good start. We didn’t do that today. There were times today when we were beaten to the football, beaten in the air and beaten at the contest.”

“We must take it on ourselves to improve in these conditions. We’ll take the point, recover well and move onto next week against Uraidla.”

For the Woods, Daniel Benson was named best player providing tough inside work around the midfield and half forward line whilst Ryan Anderson, Ryan Dijksman, Steve Woods and Jacob McCarthy were also named in the better players.

Final scoreboard

Blackwood 0.1 4.6 4.8 5.11 (41)

Echunga 4.3 4.3 6.4 6.5 (41)

Goals – Homburg 2, Anderson 1, Bennetts 1, J. McCarthy 1

Best – Benson, Anderson, Dijksman, Woods, J. McCarthy

Other Hills Football League results

B Grade – Blackwood 8.6 (54) defeated Echunga 1.6 (12)

The Woods recorded their fifth straight victory defeating the Demons 42 points in a scrappy game. The side had nine different names from the Round 2 side which lost by 33 points to the Demons on the hot day at Echunga Oval. Leading by three goals at half time the team set up the match kicking three straight goals to one goal in the third quarter. It was an even contribution across the team with seven different goal kickers. Jonathan Grimes was named as best player taking numerous intercepting marks across half back whilst Liam McCarthy, Brady Dewhurst, Nick Work and Tom Radford were also rewarded for their efforts. The side currently sits in fourth position, two points behind the third placed Mt Lofty.

Senior Colts – Blackwood 10.11 (71) defeated Echunga 5.2(32)

The side made a slow start to trail by two points at the first break. After some stern words of advice from coach Thomas at the main break, the side went about their word in the so called premiership quarter. Kicking six goals to one in the quarter the Under 18s blew the game wide open with some exceptional football from the midfield. Jackson Pole was awarded best player with two goals whilst Troy Hocking, Matt Wicks, Ethan Dinning and Chris Pavlis also featured in the best players. The win sees the side remain in second position on percentage with games against the third place Uraidla and ladder leading Hahndorf to come.

Junior Colts – Blackwood 16.9 (105) defeated Echunga 1.4 (10)

The Under 16s continued their winning form recording a 95 point victory, their fifth win in a row. Setting up the game in the first half, the team lead by 66 points half time keeping the Demons scoreless untill the third quarter and goal less until the last term. It was another even spread of players on the scoreboard with nine players kicking a major. Eduard Van den Berg was awarded best player kicking five majors in a dominate display with Alex Strauss, Nick Gacic, Henry Smith and Oscar Hodge also featuring in the top five. The side sits a game behind Hahndorf on the ladder with the sides very evenly matches (+62.7 to +67.0 differential).

Mini Colts – Blackwood 8.5 (53) defeated Mt Lofty 1.5 (11)

The young Woods had a dominate win keeping the Demons goalless for the entire match. Recording 24 scoring shots the side kicked their second highest score for the season (their highest was also against Echunga in Round 2). Callum Finlayson had a dominate game kicking five goals to be named best player whilst Tynan Kelly, Nicholas Evans, Issac Woollard and Levi Mullins rounded out the top five players. The side sits in fourth position, three games clear of fifth and only one point behind third.

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