Hawks claim the smallest of victories

Just seven days after being on the wrong end of a controversial one-point loss, Augusta-Margaret River reversed the result and won by the smallest of margins against the Harvey Bulls at the Harvey Recreation Ground on Saturday.

Hawks forward Jack Hick kicked a goal late in the final term to give the Hawks back the lead and from here they held their composure to claim an 11.8 (74) to 10.13 (73) victory.

Bulls recruit Ryan Nye had the chance to add to his five goals and give the home side the lead with minutes left in the game, but a set-shot from the former Peel Thunder forward drifted left and from here the Harvey Bulls lost their structure and could not get another shot on goal, despite their best efforts.

The Bulls had the better of the game early and at half-time they led by nine points, but a six-goal to four second half in favour of the Hawks was the catalyst in the home side’s third loss of the season.

Augusta-Margaret River ruckman Beau Morgan had a great battle with Bulls recruit Michael Robinson, with the pair both in their team’s best as they tried to get the better of each other in the contests around the ground.

Matt Jukes (four goals) was handy up forward for the Hawks, while Morgan and Jacob Payne both got on the scoreboard with a couple of goals each.

Jonathon Ietto impressed the crowd in just his second game for the Bulls, kicking two goals, while Josh Krispyn was at his best at ground level, working well in the contest and chipping in with a pair of majors himself.

Hawks coach Matt Jamieson said he was pleased with his side’s response after half-time.

“We were down in a couple of areas and we needed to address those,” he said.

“We lapsed a little bit in the last bit of that quarter. I am happy to get away with the win.

“I was pretty happy with some of the boys’ composure late.”

Jamieson said he wanted his team’s ball movement to be more consistent.

“The boys addressed it in the third quarter and then we got on top,” he said.

“We look forward to playing Bunbury, the reigning premiers, at home in the next round.”

Scoreboard

Aug-Marg River 2.3 5.5 9.7 11.8 (74) def Harvey Bulls 4.6 6.8 7.11 10.13 (73)

GOALS:

Aug-Marg River - M. Jukes 4, B. Morgan, J. Payne 2, S. Grantis, J. Hick, M. Payne. Harvey Bulls - R. Nye 5, J. Krispyn, J. Ietto 2, R. McKinlay.

BEST:

Aug-Marg River - B. Morgan, M. Jukes, J. Payne, B. Gerrans, M. Lynn, G. Wrightson. Harvey Bulls - J. Ietto, M. Robinson, J. Krispyn, E. Smith, Z. Marino, B. Lofthouse.