Freeling’sJaydenRuedigerand TravisMusterattemptto tackleSouthGawler’sJacksonPress onSaturday. PHOTO: Phil Williams
RICK DREWER
FREELING continued its unbelievable start to the Barossa, Light & Gawler A-grade football season, defeating South Gawler by 35 points on Saturday.
Led by Redlegs player-coach Scott Dutschke, ruck giant Adam Cockshell, running machine Josh Hand and Ben Heinrich dominating out of the centre, Brady Scott had two goals within the first six minutes.
Jacob Wright, Alex Stengle and Jayden Ruediger all added goals for Freeling, before Jackson Press, on the run, registered the Lions’ first.
It was not a good look from South, with its defenders audibly arguing with each other before the quarter-time siren.
Freeling had blitzed South, as it was faster, fiercer and dominated the play, and the Lions looked rattled as a result.
Michael O’Malley was simply a rock in defence for the Legs.
The 21-point margin at the first break could easily have been greater.
Just for something different, Scott added a further two goals within the first 10 minutes of the second quarter and Cockshell, after a strong mark, added his side’s third before the halfway mark of the term.
It looked ugly for the Lions, and it was only minutes before the long break that playing-coach Jack Osborn and Pat White restored some degree of respectability to the scoreboard with a major each.
Trailing by 28 points at half-time, South remerged full of fight in the third quarter.
All of the aggression, accountability, awareness, blocking and running displayed by the Legs in the first half seemed to have disappeared and been transferred to the Lions.
Osborn’s early goal momentarily inspired South, and for some time it looked like getting back into the game, winning the quarter by 14 points aided by some wayward shots at goal from Freeling.
Dutschke was not impressed at the last break, describing the playing group’s effort as “poor” and saying the “desperation has dropped off”.
To Freeling’s credit, it did get its mojo back and finished the game strongly to run out convincing winners by 35 points.
Scott finished the match with the final goal, bringing his contribution for the day to a lazy seven to be comfortably best on ground.
The game was succinctly summed up by Osborn when addressing his players post-match.
“They were a better team than us, we make it hard for ourselves when we give them a five-goal start,” he said.
“Good teams don’t do what we are doing, we have to communicate better and move the ball more freely.”
South has the bye this weekend, while Freeling hosts Tanunda in a top of the table clash.
