Urie leads Eagle win
Ellinbank vs Catani
Ellinbank have remained undefeated, taking care of Catani at home 15.13 (103) to 6.5 (41).
The Eagles had a few changes going into the match, but it didn’t stop their customary ball winning and attacking play from the backline.
Led by Jake Harper in the back half, the Eagles propelled the ball forward, giving Chris Dunne and Shaun Phelan plenty of opportunities to hit the scoreboard, which they took with gusto.
Leading by 39 points at the main break, Ellinbank put the foot down in the third term to run over the top of the depleted Catani side, with Mick Urie continuing his scintillating start, named best on ground again.
Coach Ben Wragg said having a player of Urie’s calibre gave the side an added boost every week.
“He’s in some really good form Mick and playing some really good footy for us and when he’s in that form, it’s hard to get him out of it, he put in the hard yards over preseason,” Wragg said.
The Eagles were challenged in the final term. The Blues kicked four goals to match Ellinbank and stop the margin from blowing out in some positive signs for the side who continue to develop as the season progresses.
Wragg was ultra-impressed with the way the backline stood up in the match, especially when Catani mounted a late challenge.
“Our backline was brilliant, Catani still had a real go and it went down there a number of times and they stood up and started our run.
“They turned the game and our game really started from there and then our forward line was probably too good on the day,” he said.
Bryce Joyce was again the catalyst alongside Jake Harper, who used his experience to perfection in finding the open man to start the rebound attack for the Eagles.
Phelan and Dunne both finished with three majors to be the main factors up forward, while Urie kicked two in another dominant display of midfield and forward craft, with Anthony Battista also booting a couple.
Harper, Jacob Walker, Tom Johnson, Battista and Adam Cook were all named in the best alongside Urie.
For Catani, Lucas Kallady and Trent Adams both booted two goals in the loss, with Cody Banbury also slotting home a goal, as did defender Lauchlan Gregson who snuck down forward to kick his first major for the year.
Banbury was named best on ground for the Blues, joined in the best by Dylan Williams, Nathaniel Rodda, Vaughn Campbell and Brad Adams.
Ellinbank will now gear up to face rivals Longwarry in the grand final rematch from 2019, with Wragg saying they’ll be ready to go.
“It’s going to be a big game. That grand final still sticks in the back of our minds, so we want to play our brand of footy from the start. It’s going to be a big hit out and a good one,” Wragg said.
Catani will dust themselves off and get set to take on Buln Buln at home in search of their second win of the year.