Drouin unable to haul in Power in tight game
Drouin fell two goals short after a tight, low scoring game against Wonthaggi Power at Wonthaggi on Saturday.
Final scores were 98 to 7-8.
Both sides were down on full strength.
Drouin was missing injured coach Jordan Kingi (quad) and Sam Piner (broken bone in ankle) and Liam Axford, Jye Mitchell and Joe Collins (unavailable) while Wonthaggi, fighting to stay in contention for the reserves’ “five”, promoted four from its thirds to fill its gaps.
The Wonthaggi ground was in excellent condition but a couple of showers during the reserves’ match made the wellgrassed surface slippery.
It helped contribute to a tight start, neither side scored in the first 10 minutes, until a scuffle involving about half the players on the ground erupted on Drouin’s half forward line.
It took about 90 seconds for things to settle down at the end of which Drouin ruckman Bob McCallum was awarded a free kick and then a 50-metre penalty when a Power player inadvertently ran across the mark as McCallum ran into kick.
His goal should have been followed by another for Drouin soon after when Tom Barr also won a free kick and a 50-metre penalty but miscued from the top of the goal square.
Drouin controlled most of the play for the first term but went to the break trailing 2-1 to 1-1.
The second quarter proved to be Wonthaggi’s match winner.
They kicked five goals to Drouin’s two to open a 7-2 to 3-3 lead.
Power had made the most of its chances but had looked more threatening than the Hawks when swinging into attack.
Drouin’s goals for the quarter came from McCallum after marking an Eddie Morris pass and wingman Michael Laszczyk moving up the ground to score with a clever snap.
McCallum, onballers Jeb McLeod and Clayton Kingi and defenders David Olsen and James McKellar were leading the way for the Hawks and Eddie Morris, under a tight and disciplined “tag” by Wonthaggi’s Tom Davey, was still effective and a generator of much of the side’s positive moves.
The third quarter started much the same as the first, but without the scuffle.
After 12 minutes each side had managed only one behind and they’d end the term adding only one goal apiece.
Drouin’s came from Morris who was good enough in a marking contest, but it was a four-goal advantage to Wonthaggi when the last quarter began.
The Hawks swung some positional changes, the most effective being Laszczyk’s move from a wing to centrehalf forward.
He got Drouin’s first two goals for the quarter that were interspersed by a vital one by Power.
The Hawks had chances to make further inroads but weren’t able to capitalise other than when McCallum benefitting from a down the field free kick and further aided by a 50metre penalty posted his third and Drouin’s last goal.
Drouin’s goalkickers list of just three players - McCallum, Laszczyk and Eddie Morris – highlighted its forward problems.
Post-game coach Jordan Kingi stressed to players the need to drive themselves to be better and to work to eliminate costly mistakes such as dropped marks and fumbling of the ball.
But still, they weren’t all that far away and for the first time in four games outscored the opposition in the final quarter.
Consistent performers Barr, Eddie Morris and McCallum were again at the forefront of Drouin’s efforts, Jeb McLeod always a hard worker at the packs, and Laszczyk and backmen McKellar and Olsen also solid contributors.
Olsen’s ball-reading skills helped him to about 10 defensive marks for the match.