For a second successive week Harrow-Balmoral’s senior side came from behind at three-quarter time against a potential finals opponent to maintain its Horsham District Football Netball League unbeaten streak.

The Roos have not tasted defeat since their 2022 finals exit, winning the 2023 and 2024 senior flags without dropping a game and winning their first five contests this season.

But the team was tested to the extreme at the weekend, barely surviving a 9.8 (62) to 8.6 (54) encounter with the Baggies at their North Park home.

All went according to script in the first quarter, with the Roos kicking 4.2 to 2.0 in the opening term to grab a 14-point lead.

But in the second term the Baggies went on the offensive, with an onball unit of ruckman Brett Hargreaves and midfielders Sean Mantell, Angus Murray and Ryan Folkes beginning to assert itself after the first-quarter dominance of Roo duo Anthony Close and Jai Thompson.

With Mack Padley, skipper Liam Scott and Jesse Galea-Portelli patrolling the backline, the Baggies were able to shut down scoring opportunities for the likes of Roo big man Lachlan Craig, who kicked two first-quarter goals but was kept goalless thereafter.

It was more of the same in the third term, with the Baggies outscoring the visitors to take a two-point advantage into the last quarter as key forward Kobe Lowe kicked his third and fourth majors of the afternoon – the latter after a spectacular high-flying mark in the goal square.

With their backs against the wall for a second straight week and with several senior players still sidelined with injuries, the Roos were again forced to dig deep in the final term.

Lowe missed a chance for a fifth goal that would have put the Baggies nine points ahead when he hit the post from a tight angle, but the Roos clung on grimly until Dalton Burns, moved from defence to the forward line, kicked a vital goal to put them back in front.

A desperate struggle ensued, with the Roos holding a three-point lead until time on, when in-form forward Cody Deutscher’s contested mark and goal – his fifth of the game – from 45 metres out gave them some breathing room.

The Baggies peppered the forward 50 with entries in a desperate final few minutes, but Roo defenders including Stuart Macfarlane repelled them until the final siren.

The result headlined a thrilling round of football, with Taylors Lake and Rupanyup fighting out the first draw of the season at Rupanyup Recreation Reserve.

The Panthers led by three goals at half time as Blake Turner starred up forward and Elliot Kelly was prominent onball, but the Lakers struck back with a five-goals-to-two third term – including one to Alex Baker on the siren – to set up a nailbiting finish.

The Lakers struck first in the final term through Connor Healey and Baker, only for the Panthers to reel them slowly in with a string of behinds.

Ryan Timmins’ juggling mark and conversion brought Rupanyup within four points at the 15-minute mark, while they retook the lead on a 50-metre bomb from Dylan Eats minutes later.

The see-sawing contest tipped back in Taylors Lake’s favour when Hall slotted his fourth goal of the game, putting the visitors three points up in time on.

A hurried shot from Panther Daniel Weetra, a rushed behind and another miss from Tom Morgan levelled the scores, and Weetra, after running down Laker Hayden Jamieson, had a chance to win the game after the siren with a set shot from outside 50 metres.

Controversy abounded when, after the goal umpire judged Weetra’s kick to have crossed the behind line before being punched away by Laker defenders, two field umpires conferred to overrule him, negating the score and leaving the match a draw.

The final score was Rupayup, 12.12 (84) to Taylors Lake 13.6 (84).

Another thriller played out at Kaniva, as the hometown Cougars defeated Kalkee 14.10 (94) to 14.6 (90).

The Kees led throughout the first half only for the Cougars to put themselves in front with a strong third term.

Kaniva-Leeor United went more than two goals clear after Jacob Eats’ seventh major of the afternoon, but the Kees quickly countered when a holding-the-ball decision and subsequent 50-metre penalty gave their own spearhead, Aiden Richardson, his seventh goal.

Richardson followed with an eighth deep into time on to bring the visitors within a kick, but the siren went soon after with no further score.

Noradjuha-Quantong overcame a test against Laharum to win 9.9 (63) to 6.3 (39), maintaining its own unbeaten start alongside Harrow-Balmoral. The Demons applied their trademark defence but were unable to kick a winning score themselves, as Bombers Dyson Parish, Jayden Besford, Leigh Stewart and Jack Vague came to the fore.

Natimuk United earned its second win of the year, downing Edenhope-Apsley 11.15 (81) to 2.6 (18) in a match that was never close after the first quarter.

Adrianne Lupton kicked five goals for the Rams but it was the work of Kaiden Sudholz, Adam Coutts, Zach Smith and Mitchell Clark that set up the win.

This weekend will see the Rams travel to play Taylors Lake, while Laharum is at home to Rupanyup, Kalkee hosts Noradjuha-Quantong, Harrow-Balmoral welcomes Kaniva-Leeor United to Balmoral and Swifts make a trip to Pimpinio.

The entire May 21, 2025 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!

The entire May 21, 2025 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!