First win for Finley

Veteran Paul Massingham gave the home side a positive start, kicking the first goal after Rumba won the toss and elected to kick with the aid of a slight breeze to the Eagle I end.

The visitors were quick to recover and, after winning the next couple of centre clearances, posted two goals from clean forward entries.

Arch Mason on a wing, together with on-ballers Frazer Neate and Benji Neal, provided intensity around the contest. While getting plenty of the ball early, the Cats were finding it difficult to get past Rumba’s strong defence.

Angus Robertson with his piercing left foot sliced his way through for the Cats’ second for the term and the margin was cut to six points at the first break.

The second term was all the Cats’ way. Massingham was in control on the forward line, enjoying the role as the third key target behind Harrison Kerr and Wilson. Sam Hatty, Nik Burns, Reilly Rennick, Nick Lunn and Osborne were all contributing, winning possession and providing opportunities for the forwards.

When Wilson turned and ran around the boundary line, dodging three opponents and bending through for his second for the term, the Cats were clearly up and about.

Isaac Corvo dominated his position and was then on the end of a clever transition from the defensive 50 right on the half-time siren. Ford and Nick and Willie Robertson provided plenty of rebound from defence and held the Rumba forwards to just one point for the term.

Lach Hawkins was then removed from the game and this brought Zye Treadway and Willie Robertson in to the ruck duties in the third term. Ford continued to gather possessions across half-back and drive the Cats forward.

A four-goal term saw the game firmly in Finley’s grasp and at the last break it held a 50-point lead.

Robertson relished the ruck duties and provided the midfield with plenty of opportunities in the final term.

Finley posted its first win of the season, getting the better of Rumbalara by 58 points.

Final score: Finley 16.15 (111) d Rumbalara 8.5 (53)

Reserves

No game.

Under-17s

Finley’s thirds took on second-placed Rumbalara at the weekend.

The game was hot early with Harrison King in and under from the word go. The Cats had plenty of inside 50s but didn’t make the most of it with some set shot difficulty, before Reece continued his goal sneak form from last week. The first quarter ended with Finley holding a one-point lead.

The second saw Rumba lift, kicking three goals to two. Zach Everingham was switched on and kept the Rumba forwards very quiet.

King and Isaac Lunn kept running hard, while Hamish Cameron gave a lot of help off half-back with Jordan Sykes continuing to be a bull. Cruz Nash battled hard at stoppages, setting up goals and kicking them when he could.

In the third, Matt Whelan and Jonty King made their presence felt in the foward line with strong leads from deep to see some conversion for Whelan and the Cats.

Pat Waugh went to the comp’s leading goal-kicker and kept him out of the game, while still managing to get his own footy.

At three-quarter time it was all tied up.

Isaac Lunn was still the hardest runner on the ground in the fourth quarter, with Bull King working the hardest he ever has, working back and forth in the forward line to get on the end of another beauty in the last.

Nash went to full-forward in the last and provided some big leads and slotted two. Whelan kicked the last on the final siren. After a big last quarter from the Cats they came away victorious by 18 points.

Final score: Finley 9.6 (60) d Rumbalara 6.6 (42)