Giants Under 14.
In the last home and away game for this season, the Giants travelled to Wangaratta to play against Wang Centrals at HP Barr Reserve. In front of a solid crowd in great weather, the Giants needed a strong finish going into finals.
In the first quarter it was clear that the Central Hawks wanted to have a positive finish and they were hard at the footy testing the Giants at every contest. The Giants lost every centre clearance for the quarter and were relying on rebound from the backline to get the ball moving in the right direction. At quarter time the Giants had managed to get in front by 13 points but they were far from convincing.
The second quarter saw the Giants start to be more physical at the ball and started to use the footy with more skill and run. With the midfield now holding at the forward 50 it opened up the game for scoring and rebound whenever the Hawks got the ball back out. Rory Wapling was having a cracker this week and his ball use was simply fantastic pinpointing target whenever he took possession. At the main break the Giants were now out to 51 point lead.
The third quarter saw a lot of contested scraps with neither team being able to make an impression. David Button was proving unbeatable in the ruck and the Giants midfield were starting to take advantage of this. Charlie Gander had his best game of the year and showing some aggression and attack on the footy. Jesse Walker was continually finding room for the Giants to utilize on the wing and was starting to show more poise under pressure. At the final break the Giants were up by 73 points.
The last quarter saw the Giants finish the Hawks offs to record a strong but unconvincing victory. An injury to Ben Wheeler (B1) in the second half certainly slowed the Giants down but it was a great way to finish the season. Bailey Davis’ burst speed and ball handling below his knees was exceptional while David Button (B2) was rarely beaten in the ruck or in a marking contest all day. Other worthy mentions this week were Tom Levy who continues to impress each week, Aidan Turner and Tyson Ryan who were not beaten at any contest all day while Samantha Pritchard was very impressive with her speed and intensity.
Giants
16-16-112 def. Centrals 3-3-21
Goal Kickers: Josh Hyland 4, Tom Levy 3, Luke Dunne 2, Josh Milner, Bailey Davis, Ben Wheeler, Deakyn Kohler, Charlie Gander, Brodie Laird and Rory Wapling 1 each
Best Players: Rory Wapling, Bailey Davis, David Button, Ben Wheeler, Jesse Walker and Charlie Gander
Giants Under 16
Benalla Giants took on Centrals in the last Home & Away game of the year. After a couple of disappointing weeks it was important for Giants to get back on the winners list going into week one of the finals. Centrals needed a win to hold onto fifth position and a finals berth.
From the opening bounce the Giants were a far more committed outfit than the previous two weeks, to the credit of Centrals the scores were even at quarter time. In the second term the Giants began to open up a handy advantage through some fantastic work in the midfield. The forwards were leading strongly which allowed the Giants to open up 36 point half time advantage.
The second half saw Centrals continue to fight with a number of forward entries only to be denied by a strong Giants back line. The 3 quarter time margin was out to 48 points with Centrals season all but over. The final term saw the Giants kick away with a four quarter effort resulting in a 60 point win.
Giants
16-10-106 def. Centrals 7-4-46
Goal Kickers: Paddy Warner 8, Tom Moloney 3, Riley Johnson 2, Tom Levy 1, Campbell McCoy 1, Josh Hyland 1
Best Players: Flynn Horsburgh, Campbell McCoy, Riley Johnson, Nathan Holmes, Henry O’Halloran,
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