GSFL 2024: Royals big men dominate the air as they claim emphatic victory in round five over North Albany

Royals improved their record to four wins and one loss, closing the gap on ladder leaders Albany after mauling North Albany by 90 points at Retravision Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Lions share the same win loss record as the Sharks with only percentage separating the pair after five completed rounds in the 2024 Great Southern Football League competition. The Kangas started superbly with the first four goals of the contest, two from veteran forward Graham Ross and conversions to Jackson Cosh and Mikael Philipps. But the home side hit back hard with a run of four straight majors to take a four-point buffer into quarter-time. That was the catalyst for the Lions’ fourth win of the season, strangling the Kangas from that point on. The home side piled on seven goals in the second term and the game was over by three-quarter-time, with the Kangas trailing by 54 points. Things only got worse for the Kangas in the final stanza as they were held to two points while the clinical Lions did as they pleased moving the ball forward. The Lions’ win was capped by a goal on the final siren to long-awaited league debutant Teague Valli as his side marched to an emphatic 21.11 (137) to 7.5 (47) result. “It was not the start we were after but halfway through the first we got our balance back and started playing our way,” Lions coach Darrell Panizza said. “Our midfield were beaten in the first 15 minutes but from then we took the ascendancy and we have a pretty potent forward line but kicking 21 goals is a good effort. “Being 4-1 is good but we have another three weeks now of playing the best teams in the competition.” Boom recruit Brock Higgins was superb in his second game of the season, dominating in the ruck and having a huge influence around the ground while also kicking two goals. Interestingly, the Lions played three ruckman in Higgins, Nathan Powell and Stephen Beal, the latter in his first league game of the year. Beal was also telling around the stoppages but didn’t play in the final term and had ice on his calf, while Powell was sent to an unfamiliar role at fullback. Brayden Parker, Declan McNamara and Zak Mola racked up possessions at will through the midfield and Mitch Paine provided impressive run and dash from halfback. Up front, Hamish McMorran was a towering figure in attack for the Lions, kicking a game-high five goals, while Jaiden Mole (four goals) and Corey Ward (three) were also important. Panizza said Beal not playing in the final term was purely managing his minutes in his comeback. It was a miserable day for the Kangas after their initial 20-minute burst, slumping to a fourth loss of the season and slipping two games adrift of the top four. Kobi Keen was outstanding in a losing affair and he had support from Nick Barrow, Barry Roberts and Philipps, while Ross was their only multiple goalkicker. Kangas’ Brock Tiede didn’t play in the second half after going down with injury.