Panthers upset Felines

The open team took on the Lavington Panthers on Saturday evening after the senior male match at the John Foord Oval, Corowa.

With the open team playing 12 a side, it was a fast flowing match on the wide, green spaces of the John Foord Oval.

Once again, the Felines got off to a solid start and contested an even contest in the first half of the first quarter.

Unfortunately, the Panthers midfielders slowly got on top and were able to run and carry the ball deep into their forward line.

With a domination of forward possession, the Panthers were able to score consistently in the first two quarters to take a match winning lead into the major break.

After half time, the Felines were able to match the tempo with the Panthers.

While scoring majors proved to be elusive for the evening, the score board did not reflect the evenness of the competition.

After half time, the back line lead by Tahlia Simpson, Lillian Walton and Mackenzie Rolls repelled many attacks, Carlie Smith belied her age with fantastic run and drive from the midfield, and Madeleine Lyons and Skye Simpson troubled their Panthers opponents in the forward line.

Once again, coach Darren Simpson, was still upbeat about the performance of the team.

“After getting some of our match ups sorted, we were able to take it right up to the Panthers.

With some further improvement, we will be a competitive team for the season. We were able to dominate possession in the last quarter, and I am sure that we will be able to score more freely in future games.”

Final score: Murray Felines 0.2.2 defeated by Lavington Panthers 10.13.73. Under 16 The Under 16 took on Lavington Panthers on Sunday at the John Foord Oval after the boys under 16 match.

Both teams were playing 14 a side, so once again, the game was very open with very few packs or stoppages.

The young Felines were able to flex their muscles early in the match and booted the first three goals in the first quarter.

Sophie Nicholson was dominating in front of the goals before injuring her hamstrings muscle.

Leela Rosser and Emily Nicholson were in charge through the centre, proving their intensity and commitment throughout the match.

Mietta Habits was lively at centre half for- ward, and young Yasmine Budic played the game of her life with many possessions and searing runs.

The second and third quarters were more dour affairs with the Lavington Panthers finding their tempo and playing attacking football.

Fortunately, the backline lead again by Maddie Hocking, Melody Lynch, Breanna Wojtowyez and Kaitlyn Muscat were miserly throughout the afternoon and restricted the Lavington Panthers to one goal.

In the last quarter, the Felines were able to boot clear with some strong forward marking by Emily Nicholson and Caitlin Somerville.

Coach Brad Nicholson was very pleased with the result: “We have improved significantly since we started training. The girls played as a team with everyone contributing. We still have further improvements to make but with two wins out of two games, we are very pleased with the start of the season.”

Final score: Murray Felines 7.3.45 defeated Lavington Panthers 1.2.8.