By Beth Newman
Alexandra Hills 11.12 (78)
Robina 10.11 (71)
Robina tasted defeat for the first time in 2013, with Alex Hills pulling off a major upset.
The Bombers have proved hard to read this season, but showed they can more than compete with the best in the competition against the Roos.
Their win puts Alex Hills in ninth, and means they remain a mathematical possibility of making finals, with four wins.
What the coaches said:
Graham Henwood (Alex Hills):
“We have worked extremely hard on the track over the past month and the rewards are starting to come.”
“It was a terrific win with 22 contributors, which was the most pleasing thing.”
Mark Vigus (Robina):
“It was pretty disappointing to be honest. We obviously just didn’t play well enough.”
“ We just went through the motions, missing a couple of key players and there wasn’t anyone willing to step up.”
“We were getting ahead of ourselves, getting a bit complacent, thinking things will just happen.”
“At times it felt like Alex had 20 players out there, which is very interesting.”
“A lot of our boys would’ve gone home last night and really thought about where they’re at ad what they need to do to step up.”
“A lot of soul searching, but it’s only one game and we’d much rather this happen now than later in the year.”
“Everybody wants to go through undefeated and no one likes losing, but you look at it and we’re still in the same position, still a game clear of second spot.”
Hornets 7.1, 11.8, 17.11, 25.17 (167)
Wynnum 0.1, 0.1, 2.1, 2.4 (16)
Aspley continued to cement their top-four spot, trashing Wynnum on Saturday.
The Hornets picked up a handy percentage boost in the win, after getting out to a seven goal first-quarter lead.
Andrew McElroy kicked seven for Aspley in the win, while Jorge Branco and Jack Guest put in strong performances for the Hornets.
Caloundra 7.0, 8.7, 10.8. 13.8 (86)
Caboolture 1.0, 4.4, 7.8, 9.12 (66)
A seven-goal opening term proved the difference for Caloundra, in their win over Caboolture.
The Panthers burst out of the blocks in that first term, but the Lions continued to fight as the game wore on, reducing the margin to only three goals at the final break.
Jimmy Cupper continued his strong form for Caloundra, while Brayden Whicker was also a key part of the win.
Philip Struthers was a shining light for Caboolture, while Karl Brockman produced a solid performance.
Coorparoo Kings 3.1, 6.5, 11.6, 15.8 (98)
Yeronga 2.2, 2.3, 4.7, 8.12 (60)
Coorparoo took out their crucial clash with Yeronga on Saturday, well and truly reinforcing their status as premiership contenders.
The match was an arm wrestle for much of the day, but the Kings’ cohesion proved too good against the Devils.
Coorparoo’s Josh Lake starred for the Kings on the day, finishing with five goals, while Jake Waters had one of his better games of the year.
Devils captain Matt Brown kicked two goals for the Devils and was his side’s best in the loss.
The result does not affect the ladder, with the Devils still in second on percentage, ahead of the Kings.
What the coaches said:
Chris Ryan (Yeronga):
“Coorparoo are the benchmark for a reason.”
They had 22 contributors and they outplayed us on the day.”
“We didn’t apply the things we needed to beat them.”
“The positives? We couldn’t play that bad again.”
“The things we can improve on are coachable things and things that we can turn around.”
Kedron 0.7 5.9, 9.14,12.16 (88)
Kenmore 2.3, 7.3,9.4, 12.6 (78)
Kedron overcame a sluggish start to defeat Kenmore at home on Saturday.
The Lions were goalless in the first term, due to the Bears’ intense pressure around the ball, but managed to claw back the margin in the second.
Jason Duce kicked five in the win for Kedron, while Kim Thompson was one of the side’s best.
For Kenmore, Brad Stummer can make strong claims for a permanent starting spot, finishing with four.
What the coaches said:
James Debono (Kedron):
“I thought Kenmore outplayed us in the first half but in the second quarter we turned a corner and started chipping away “
“We really worked well for each other.”
“I think it was a really crucial win to stay in touch to potentially playing finals “
“We’ve got a big test with Yeronga next week, another side that’s proven they’re a benchmark side in the competition.”
Tom Corless (Kenmore):
It wasn’t a bad game actually …we were good around the packs, won most of the ball around the packs.”
“They won the ball out of the middle in the last half but we played stoppage football pretty well.”
There were some magnificent efforts with tackling, smothering and receiving but through the lines and out wide, we need to run the lines a bit harder both ways.”
“I can’t criticise our players for determination.”
Nambour & Hinterland 3.3 6.6 8.12 10.16 (76)
Redcliffe 3.4, 6.7,6.8, 7.9 (51)
Nambour have kept themselves in finals contention, with a solid win over fellow ex-Div three side, Redcliffe.
The Sunny Coasters edged away throughout the game, in a tight contest.
Nicholas Selman kicked four for Nambour in the win and Nathan Spring played a crucial role.
Tim Lynne and Lachlan Soutter were the best for Redcliffe.
Ben Stanley (Nambour):
“It was a bit muddy and sloppy but they fought it out well.”
“There wasn’t really any stand outs, it was actually a really even performance.”
“We’re continually working on our defensive side and trying to be a bit better without the ball.”
Steve Jenkins (Redcliffe):
“It was a really good contest actually.”
“They just used the football better. They were a bit more skilful.”
We were disappointed not to win, but to Nambour’s credit they hurt us in a fair contest.”
