By Colin MacGillivray

Swifts’ senior footballers are preparing for a second successive Horsham District league test on Saturday after passing what coach Brett Hargreaves labelled a danger game against Laharum with flying colours.

The Baggies won convincingly, 18.7 (115) to 7.7 (49), in front of a home crowd at North Park that turned out to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the club’s 2014 premiership.

But while the final result was a 66-point victory, Hargreaves said the Demons’ strong form in the lead-up to the contest made him ‘pretty nervous’.

“We didn’t know what we were coming up against. They pushed ladder leader Harrow-Balmoral and got pretty close in that game, and from all reports they might have let it slip,” he said.

“Apart from their game against Noradjuha-Quantong, they’ve been beating teams by similar margins to us.

“We have a lot of respect for them, so it was a good, old-fashioned danger game for us.”

Hargreaves was pleased with his side’s effort throughout the match.

A focus for the Baggies was preventing the dangerous Laharum midfield featuring Daniel Easson and Robbie Miller from asserting itself, and they achieved their goal with onballers Ryan Folkes and Scott Carey feeding off Hargreaves’ ruck work.

Folkes put in another best-on-ground performance, while full forward Paul Summers extended his lead in the league goal-kicking tally with eight majors.

Also pleasing Hargreaves were the debuts of former Great Western players Andrew Cameron and Chevy Elliott on a wing and at a half-back flank, respectively.

Laharum’s best performers included defenders John Doyle and Brett Ervin along with half forward Jarrod Kemp, while Miller and Easson played customarily well despite the attention of the Baggies.

Hargreaves said his side’s challenge was to replicate its form this weekend in a road game against fourth-placed Rupanyup.

“It’s a bit of an eight-point game. They’re trying to take second spot off us, and if we beat them it’s four points we get and they don’t,” he said.

“They’re probably a bit similar to Laharum – they’ve got a good engine room and a good forward line, so our job is to beat them in the middle.

“If we keep it in our forward half more than theirs, I think we have enough artillery in our forward half to stretch their defence and it should hopefully be enough to kick a winning score.”

Other results at the weekend saw Noradjuha-Quantong top Kaniva-Leeor United in a 34.14 (218) to 6.4 (40) thrashing at Quantong Recreation Reserve.

In what marked the first time a team topped 200 points this season, the Bombers were ruthless, slamming home 11 goals in the final term to put an exclamation point on the game.

Judah Hobbs kicked 10 goals to lead the team’s tally, but best-on-ground honours went to James Hallett, who kicked five of his own and set up others. Also getting in on the act was Dawson Cross with six.

Cougar co-captains Billy King and Jock Maddern and senior player Hamish Bennett never stopped trying amid the heavy defeat. Harrow-Balmoral also convincingly won its game against Kalkee, 26.12 (168) to 3.8 (26).

Spearhead Michael Close kicked a season-high seven goals for the Roos, with Nick Pekin and Rhys Daffy kicking four each and Cody Deutscher and coach Jai Thompson leading the way.

Playing coach Andy Devereaux and midfielder Jakob Butcher were the Kees’ best.

Edenhope-Apsley picked up its second win of the season, downing Pimpinio 15.11 (101) to 9.7 (61) at Edenhope.

Charlie Campbell led the way for the Saints with four goals, with midfielder Adam Hood another standout. 

Adam Westley and big man Mackay Baker were Pimpinio’s top performers.

Rupanyup consigned Natimuk United to its seventh loss of the season with a 15.14 (104) to 8.9 (57) win on the road.

The Panthers had too much firepower for the Rams, with Cam Weston and coach Brayden Ison leading the charge in the forward line, kicking seven between them.

Rising young players Kyah Wilkinson, Cody Frizon and Archie Sudholz showed the promise of the future for the Rams however, all playing strong games.

In addition to Swifts’ clash with Rupanyup, round 10 will feature what shapes up as hard-fought battles between Pimpinio and Natimuk United at Pimpinio and Kalkee and Edenhope-Apsley at Kalkee, while Kaniva-Leeor United hosts Harrow-Balmoral in a battle of bottom versus top of the ladder and Noradjuha-Quantong will travel to take on Taylors Lake.

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