MacFarlane on song for Saints ‘Noodles’ too hot for young Warriors
ST MARY’S V WARATAH GOALS BEST 4.6 9.9 15.14 16.20 0.1 2.1 2.1 4.4 UMPIRES IT was the Peter MacFarlane show at TIO Stadium last night, the star St Mary’s halfforward kicking six goals during a 16.20 (116) to 4.4 (28) rout over Waratah.
The man nicknamed Noodles did plenty of damage in the first half, kicking four majors, to help seal the game by the main break.
The big loss for the red-andwhites was a cruel ending to their 2016-17 NTFL campaign, a team full of commitment and heart after going winless last season.
While Waratah never gave up and can be proud of their season which saw them record seven wins and a draw, the Saints are simply too good for the rest of the competition right now.
On their day, Nightcliff can almost match it with the minor premiers, but the Green Machine are raging hot title favourites after their 15-straight wins.
The ’Tahs never stopped trying but they were simply no match for Saints’ run and spread in attack, and their constant ability to find a free man.
St Mary’s speedsters Francis Kinthari, Michael Coombes, Justin Cooper, Nick Yarran, Ben Rioli and Shannon Rioli and Henry Labastida were once again all class against Waratah who simply couldn’t keep up.
Followers Cam Ilett and Jackson Geary were complemented by inside midfielder Nathaniel Paredes and all three were always hard at the ball, while Iggy Vallejo, John Anstess and Raphael Clarke led the way in defence.
Former Casey Demons VFL player, Paredes, popped up all over the field and his evasiveness made him near-imposs- ible to stop when in possession last night.
Geary’s motor never stopped running and he was always up for a rugged contest.
Those two players have been doing that all season, while Luke Bath was also tireless for the Green Machine.
MacFarlane’s second goal in the first quarter was superb, booting it home from 40m with Waratah defenders fast converging on him.
The game was over at halftime when Saints held a 50point lead.
The free kick count was also in favour of Waratah, 16-14, at the fulltime siren.
But that never seemed to bother the Saints who were far too superior for a young Warriors outfit.
The worrying thing for all other NTFL clubs is that every game there seems to be a stack of highly impressive contributors for the reigning premiers.
For Waratah, Zach Westerberg was all effort in the ruck and Jason Williams displayed a ton of class in the midfield.