Tara Murray
Woodend-Hesket’s lack of final experience showed early in the Riddell District Football League qualifying final on Saturday against Wallan.
The Hawks were playing finals for the first time since 2009, the experience was new for many of the playing group.
The Magpies capitalised early and led by 26 points at half time and were winning the running game.
The Hawks switched things up in the third quarter and it worked, reducing the margin to 12 points at the final change.
The Hawks hit the front in the last quarter, but the Magpies were able to kick the last two goals of the game to win, 9.11 (65)-8.10 (58).
Hawks playing coach Josh Pound admits that they didn’t handle playing a final as well as they would have liked.
“I think they handled the pressure of a final,” he said of Wallan. “Obviously we hadn’t been here in some time as a club and it was obviously built up during the week, quite significantly.
“I don’t think the decision making was poor but it felt like the execution was a little bit off when we tried to play our attacking game style, brought the ball into the middle and missed targets and they were good enough to hurt us.”
The Hawks had some chances early to get on the scoreboard, but missed shots. Pound said they were taking shots when they should have been looking for another pass.
He said some of the forwards were trying to get themselves into the game.
The second quarter was all the Magpies, who were allowed to play the game they wanted to.
“A few half forwards got sucked up to the contest a little too much and left too much of an out number in forward half,” Pound said.
“They’ve got some smart play readers in [Michael] Mannix and [Riley] Gilcrist and you really can’t avoid to leave those two spare and let them dictate what they want to do.
“We went 18 on 18 after that in the second half and it changed the game, fortunately gave them a little bit too much of a lead.”
Pound said the only message to the group was to play man on man in the second half and no fancy structures.
He threw the magnets around as well, with Ethan Minns into the middle and Ben Toman up forward two of the key moves.
Minns was instrumental in getting his side back into the game providing that real positive energy.
Pound said in the end they ran out of tickets in the last quarter having had to do a lot of chasing.
Daniel Davie and Pound kicked two goals each for the Hawks. Minns and Riley Paterson were named their best.
Pound said it was good to get their key forwards with another game under their belts.
“That’s two games back for our three talls now and they all showed something,” he said.
“Davie was pretty dominant in that second half with his contested marking. We’re still trying to find the right mix, all three of them have only played two games together, running out of time to find the mix, we know we have some threats up there.”
The Hawks will now play Romsey in a knock out semi final.
I spoke to the boys then and told them not to be happy, let it hurt,” Pound said.
“I felt like an opportunity has gone missing at the same time we’ve earned the right to go again next week.
“We’re happy to still be in the race.”
