Hogan’s heroics lifts Mansfield to a mammoth victory away to Mooroopna in Goulburn Valley League

Saturday’s 15.14 (104) to 8.5 (53) win over Mooroopna wasn’t just another four points banked in Goulburn Valley League.

It was a declaration.

That the pre-finals version of Mansfield is sharper, harder and armed with a Hogan-sized headache for every backline in the league.

Hogan finished with seven goals and, whether it was splitting the sticks from tight angles or dragging defenders into no-man’s land to carve up space for others, the forward was untouchable.

With Mansfield leader Jack Hutchins out, Hogan didn’t just fill the void — he took over.

“I think he was really good today,” co-coach Mitch Wareham said post-match.

“He owned the forward line. We've seen what he's done in the last couple of years now — he's a bit of a weapon forward, so he was good.”

The game began with Mansfield in full sprint.

A run-and-gun passage led to Hogan’s first goal from a free kick, then a bullet pick out found him in the pocket for his second.

Before Mooroopna had found its shape, Cody George and Jack Christopher had added to the tally and the Cats were on the ropes.

Mooroopna fought to keep it close as Jack Osborne’s strong mark and finish steadied the host momentarily, but Mansfield’s pressure didn’t waver as a scrappy soccer goal late on pushed the Eagles 25-9 ahead at quarter-time.

If the first quarter was clinical, the second was carnage.

Nick Gray’s long-range bomb bounced its way through before Kobie Issell’s laser from distance brought it briefly back to a three-goal gap — and that’s when Mansfield pressed the foot down.

George spun through traffic for a highlight-reel goal, then Benjamin Reardon, Callum Brown and Hogan (again) piled on.

Hogan’s goal after the siren — Mansfield’s ninth — made it 59-15 at the half.

Although the third term began with Mooroopna rallying through Logan Campbell and Jed Woods — the latter’s roosted effort coming down with snow on it before landing the right side of the goal line — Mansfield refused to open the door.

Hogan chimed in with another before Brown’s boundary finish widened the chasm and, while a fracas midway through the quarter showed the Cats weren’t going down quietly, the scoreboard didn’t blink.

Mooroopna’s Will Emanuelli boasted a couple of clunks and successful kicks to keep the horns honking, but the Eagles remained in full command at 82-40.

Mooroopna’s brief joy in the final term came courtesy of another clever finish from Campbell and a sharp set shot from Issell.

But it only delayed the inevitable.

Hogan was still looming — and then landing — with his sixth and seventh goals in the final stretch, the last of which came from a filthy contested grab that punctuated a best-on-ground performance with flair.

Despite the scoreboard dominance, Wareham still saw areas for improvement.

“I think our first half was really good and that sort of set the tone,” he said.

“Our third quarter let us down a fair bit. We probably went away from what was working, but we sort of weathered the storm a bit.

“Mooroopna at home, no matter where they're on the ladder, usually at home they're pretty strong, so we had to weather that storm in the third quarter.

“We came away in the last quarter which was nice.”

Hogan’s seven goals had him pinned as Mansfield’s best, while Sam Thomson and Brown (two goals) also stood out for the Eagles.

For the hosts, youngster Will Wood stood tall, while Campbell managed to add three majors to his record in the loss.