RICK DREWER

TANUNDA sent a message to the Barossa, Light & Gawler A-grade football competition, obliterating Freeling by 89 points on Saturday.

Ben Britton, playing his 150th game, won the toss for the 'Pies and kicked with a gentle breeze.

The Redlegs started off with a sensational toe-poked goal from Brady Scott, inside the first three minutes.

With Aaron Cocks, Ashley Selleck, Joel Cochrane and Michael O'Malley featuring, things looked good early for Freeling.

Alas, it only lasted for 10 minutes.

Tanunda player-coach Dean Terlich said at the first break his side “started on the back foot”, but it heeded his message to “play quick” by piling on the next seven goals without reply from the Legs.

Terlich, Britton and Josh Trembath, all with doubles, and Stuart Gregory's left-foot snap opened up a six-goal lead at quarter-time.

Brothers, Leigh and Matt Westhoff, as well as Angus Kurtze and Aron Fechner, really got the ball rolling.

The second term was a replica of the first, with Sam Carmichael snapping truly for Freeling inside the first minute.

It was tight, tough and combative for the first half of the quarter with Travis Muster, Alex Stengle, Cocks, Scott Dutschke and Adam Cockshell delaying the Tanunda advance before the inevitable dam wall broke.

An early highlight was the massive long-bomb barrel, reaching the wing, provided by Magpie Matt Westhoff from a kick-in.

Unfortunately, a lowlight followed when a sickening, friendly-fire collision between Freeling's O'Malley and Adam Haseldine resulted in the latter being unconscious for a number of minutes.

The game stopped while he was stretched off and taken to hospital by ambulance to be checked over.

The Pies added insult to injury with five goals to take a 50-point lead into the long break.

Despite the inside-50s being 23-17 in favour of Tanunda, Freeling had led the clearances 22-15.

Tanunda was a lot cleaner with its ball use, well-drilled, and executed far better than the Legs, which reflected on the scoreboard.

At the long interval, Freeling player-coach Dutschke's instructions were “become accountable; only one go, and the rest lock-on”.

The third term was a better effort from Freeling, with the deficit only increasing by 12 points, courtesy of some easy missed shots on goal from Tanunda.

At the final break, Terlich implored his Magpie men to “keep your foot on the throat, control the game, concentrate on handball and kicking skills, and kick a score”.

They did just that, outscoring Freeling by another four goals to run-out convincing winners by 14 goals, suggesting the gap between themselves and Angaston, and the rest of the competition is massive.