Round 4, 2025 Summary

Elliston Districts had a crucial win over fellow finals aspirant Cougars at Minnipa on the weekend, and given the season is now a third of the way through, early wins are critical for finals bound sides and hard to peg back with just 8 games to go. Lock had a percentage boosting win over a struggling Eyre United, and United Yeelanna continued their unbeaten run with a tough win over Tumby Bay at the Kooplex.

The match of the round between the league's 2 unbeaten sides in United Yeelanna and Tumby Bay did not disappoint with a tough and closely contested match with both teams showcasing their skills and determination throughout the game. The weather conditions added an extra challenge, with wet ground and intermittent showers affecting play. In the first quarter, Yeelanna struggled to convert their scoring opportunities, with players like Alex Glover and Casey Carr missing some marks. However, their forward pressure was excellent, keeping the ball inside Tumby's forward 50 for most of the quarter. Brayden Martin's brilliant rundown tackle sparked a scuffle, adding to the intensity of the game.

Tumby Bay fought back in the second quarter, kicking with the breeze and getting themselves back into the game. Jackson Murphy's efforts in kick-ins from full-back were crucial, and Xavier Watson was a standout with his consistent performance. Alex Glover's goal after the siren levelled the scores at half time, setting up an exciting second half. In the third quarter, Yeelanna maintained possession but struggled to convert their chances, while Tumby Bay managed to score two goals despite limited opportunities. The final quarter saw Yeelanna initially fall behind as Tumby Bay took the lead, but they were able to regain control with a strong effort from Xavier Watson in the midfield. Both teams appeared fatigued towards the end of the game, giving away a high number of free kicks. Better players for United Yeelanna included Brayden Martin, Xavier Watson, Adam Murnane, Matt Dyer, Shaun Maxfield, and Jed Murnane, while Tumby Bay's standout performers were Jackson Murphy, Thomas Kelly, Joe Walker, Archer Trezise, Waylon Miller, and Jack McDonald. Overall, it was a hard-fought match with some key moments and physicality on display.

Lock travelled to Ungarra to take on Eyre United in a David v Goliath battle, but the Roos didn’t get it all their own way early as the Saints challenged early with some good pressure on their more fancied opponents. Trav Beard broke the deadlock with the games first goal, but youngster Riley Pugsley responded well for the home side before the Roos settled through some good work from Billy Byass to take a 16 point lead into the first break. The game took a major turn in the second as Lock began to flex their muscle and dominated the contest all across the ground. Glover kicked a classy goal from 60 metres out and he along with George and Morton were finding plenty of the ball and creating numerous opportunities for Lock's forwards as they piled on 10 unanswered goals for the quarter to put the game to bed by half time. To the Saints credit they were able to stem the bleeding in the third with their pressure on the ball carrier noticeably improved, and they were able to restrict Lock to 4 goals for the quarter on the back of some individual class from Trav Beard who slotted 3 of them. Nathan Peters kicked truly for Eyre United to score their only goal for the term, but it was a much better performance from the home side. The last quarter was all one way traffic again with Lock dominating across the ground and simply not allowing the Saints to get any momentum going forward. They added a further 6 goals for the term to run out big winners to the tune of 135 points. It was an impressive display given the absence of several key players and they look certain to be a genuine challenger come the business end of the season. Billy Byass was all class for the winners, George and Glover knocked up getting touches and Trav Beard with 7 goals, Dusty Wheare and Arley Byass both good. For the Saints Tom Forrest battled manfully as always, Brody Stratford continued his good form, and Malachi Fatchen, Harvey Masson, Riley Pugsley and Luke Forrest all had some good moments.

Elliston Districts hosted Cougars at the picturesque Minnipa Oval in an important clash to determine both clubs finals aspirations. The Roosters were buoyed by the inclusion of Jaxon Bennett back into their lineup, and looked on task early in a tight opening quarter. Both sides were desperate with their attack on the contest and at the quarter time siren there was nothing between the 2 sides with the home side leading by the barest of margins. They began to gain some ascendancy in the second term with Kelsh dominant in the ruck and Bennett and Rosalia starting to find the ball, and if not for some missed opportunities they could have led by more at the main break. Corey Paech and talented youngster Reuben Hill were working tirelessly for Cougars as their side trailed by 18 points at the main break. Cougars came out a far more desperate side after half time as Paech got busy up forward and was dangerous in front of goals and Dylan Wandner became influential on the contest. They were able to add 4 goals for the term and peg the margin back to just 5 points despite the strong efforts from Lee and Baker for the home side. The scene was set for an epic final term with plenty riding on the result. Elliston Districts took control of the game and were outstanding defensively to keep Cougars scoreless, but they did allow the game to stay live by missing several opportunities in front of goal. They kicked 1 goal eight in the final term which could have proved costly but in the end their defensive work was enough for them to stay in control and win by 19 points.

Kelsh was outstanding all day, he is in excellent form, Fraser Smith good in the air, Bennett prominent in his return game, and Baker, Lee and Rieniets all had solid games. For Cougars Corey Paech was excellent over 4 quarters, Hill good again, and Phelps, Wandner, Jack Green and Yarra Mickan all had positive moments