R16 2023 | Thirds vs Whitefriars

After last week’s anti-climax ‘winning’ by forfeit, the Thirds in just their second game since July 8th, faced off against ladder-leaders Whitefriars at home. With neither the opposition nor MHSOB (2nd) being able to be displaced from their current ladder positions before finals, the game was treated as an opportunity to experiment with different tactics and positions before they faced off again the following week.

Unfortunately for the hosts who had several late outs, it was Whitefriars who were the quickest out of the gates in the first half, controlling the tempo and spreading effectively out of the contest. The Unicorns were strong at the coalface, using their bigger bodies in stoppages and producing several neat passages of play, but were caught out by swifter ball movement from the opposition, who were able to reflect this on the scoreboard. The visitors took a comfortable lead of 35 points into the major break.

Needing a lift, the Unicorns were unable to make inroads into the deficit, being on the wrong side of a seven-goal to one third term. Eventually, the game fizzled out in the last quarter as both sides went into preservation mode before things get serious in the semi-final next week. Whitefriars proved they were the team to beat in the competition, winning by 87 points.

Highlights for the Unicorns included the consistently solid defensive efforts all day from key back Tom Feeney, who was bombarded with opposition attacks and held his own with his spoiling and one-on-one work. Inside midfielders Alex Shulman and Jye Gillespie again got plenty of the ball and did their best work at the stoppages as they have shown throughout the entire season, and were assisted well by Dinesh Francis, whose clearance work, tackling, and physicality were a standout. Albert Kuang provided an option all day on the wing as a link between the arcs and dropping back in defence, while young Bailey Gallop from the U20s slotted the only major of the day for the hosts and provided a strong marking presence and good leading patterns in a very promising performance.

MHS will face off against Whitefriars again next week, with the tantalising reward for the winner being an immediate spot in the grand final and a week off, while the loser luckily has a double chance and faces off against the winner of 3rd vs 4th the following week. The Unicorns will be buoyed by the names still to return and the remarkable turnaround from previous seasons to finish an impressive home and away campaign in the top two and return to the finals for the first time since 2019.

Final Score: MHSOB: 1.4-10 defeated by Whitefriars: 14.13-97     

Goal Kickers: B. Gallop

Best Players: T. Feeney-Connor, A. Shulman, J. Gillespie, A. Kuang, B. Gallop, D. Francis