Wanderers jump Tahs to post emphatic win
WANDERERS V WARATAH 3.1 9.3 12.6 15.6 1.0 4.0 6.1 8.2 GOALS WARATAH started round one fast with their droughtbreaking win over Southern Districts, but last night the Wanderers were like lightning from the opening bounce and the Warriors could not match them.
Last season’s grand finalists led from the outset and were too good for the red and whites at TIO Stadium, winning 15.6 (96) to 8.2 (50).
In doing so, they cancelled out pre-game talk that another Waratah upset might be on the cards.
Make no mistake, Waratah is a revitalised team this season.
But they were out-bodied at the contest from the get-go, with Dominic Grant kicking his first of four goals in a dominant performance.
Leslie Maroney, Beau Riordan and Joel Seden all had strong involvements early as the Wanderers took a 3.1 (19) to 1.0 (6) lead into the first break.
But Waratah showed heart to stem the momentum from their opponents early and fight their way back into the quarter.
Wanderers, however, came out flying again in the second quarter, grabbing a healthy 9.3 (57) to 4.0 (24) lead going into the main break.
Grant kicked two brilliant goals for the pre-game favourites in this term — his first a precise snap inside the first 30 seconds.
His second came from a nice turn of body in the shadows of halftime.
Daniel Motlop’s excellent use of his big frame saw him score his second goal which gave the Wanderers a 32-point lead earlier in the quarter.
But the Warriors did not give up.
Josh Barton, Matthew Blake and Lachlan Collihole kicked majors, Blake scoring a nice goal storming onto a loose ball after good lead-up work from Kieran Nicholls and Barton.
It was the Wanderers who started better in the third term, with Seden kicking his second, before Samuel Arthur booted two to give his side a 41-point lead. The Wanderers continued their dominance in the final quarter, with the versatile Motlop’s strength upfront seeing him score and set up Nathan Grant for another major to seal Tahs’ fate.