Drouin dominate Tigers after tight first quarter
Drouin’s big steps forward over the past month continued at Morwell on Saturday when it posted its second successive win.
The Hawks conceded only two goals after quarter time to win 14-13 to 7-6.
The weather was a bit kinder than in some other parts of Gippsland, the breeze chilly but not strong enough to have much impact on play, only an odd shower but mainly sunshine during the game and a Morwell oval that was in superb condition.
It made for some fast, free flowing football, especially in the first quarter.
Slow starts have been an issue for Drouin all year but it was quickly out of the blocks on Saturday.
A long goal to Josh Seri within 90 seconds of the start was followed within the first 10 minutes by others to David Olsen and Eddie Morris.
The Tigers struck back to kick five of the next six goals up until quarter time.
Drouin’s fourth was Seri’s second at the 17-minute mark when Morwell had only two goals on the board.
It was the Tigers ahead 5-1 to 4-1 when the quarter time siren rang.
A brilliant second quarter set up a match-winning lead for Drouin.
Morwell was held to just two behinds while the Hawks rammed home 6-3 to lead by 31 points at the long break, 10-4 to 5-3.
Four goals in the first 10 minutes of the second term set Drouin on its way.
By half time Seri had four goals to his name and during the quarter Jordan Kingi and Olsen each had two and Tom Barr joined them on the goalkickers’ sheet.
Bob McCallum’s ruck dominance had given the on-ballers Eddie Morris, Liam Axford, Jordan Kingi and Jeb McLeod plenty of the ball and Barr provided great drive from a wing to put Morwell’s defence under strain.
But the confident run and teamwork from the Hawks’ defenders was also important.
Back lines coach Robert Ferguson can take a lot of credit for building a predominantly young defence into a group that is working together well even without the back line “general” for many years, David Olsen, who has been moved forward over the past month.
Under some dark and threatening conditions it was a goal apiece early in the third quarter, Drouin’s Jordan Kingi kicking his third and later in the term Morris getting his second when an excellent kick by McLeod found him at the top of the goal square.
Light rain for the first five minutes of the last quarter led to plenty of fumbles with a slippery ball but when the rain stopped Seri snapped his fifth as the game petered towards its inevitable conclusion.
Barr, intercepting a kick-in from a Drouin behind, drilled home his second goal that proved to be the Hawks’ last.
Olsen’s set shot after the siren drifted off line and denied the team its first triple-figure point score for the year.
Overall it was another good team effort by the Hawks.
The leaders McCallum, Eddie Morris, Axford, Jordan Kingi, McLeod and Barr were to the forefront again but the contributions across the ground – backmen Joe Collins, 100gamer David Miller, Wayne Morris, Brendan Dower, Liam Anderson, Clayton Kingi and James McKellar – were the difference possibly between winning and losing.
Up forward Seri bobbed up with five goals and probably has as many other shots at half chances.
Only two a fortnight ago he played in the reserves!
Jordan Kingi chimed in with three important goals and Olsen possibly should have doubled his two.
The pressure applied by all of the forwards to their opponents certainly had Morwell on the back foot after quarter time and helped Drouin control general play.