Williams kicks 15 in 124 point win

Goals: Yarrawonga: Leigh Williams 15, Ned Pendergast 4, Tim Fothergill, Jess Koopman, Tim Lawrence, Kyal Tyson, Willie Wheeler, Jacko Meade.

North Albury: Doulton Langlands 3, Carter Norman 2, Callum Pattinson 1, Ryan Polkinghorne 1.

Best: Yarrawonga: Leigh Williams, Willie Wheeler, Beau Seymour, Mark Whiley, Ryan Einsporn, Jackson Meade.

North Albury: George Godde, Clay Thomas, Fletcher Ramage, Ryan Polkinghorne, Hayden Cooper, Jack Penny.

Leigh Williams has put North Albury to the sword with a near record-breaking bag of 15 goals in pristine conditions on Saturday afternoon at the JC Lowe Oval.

The senior record of 16 still held by Brendan Fevola looked in jeopardy with the spearhead forward Williams piling on the goals, especially late in the day.

The white-hot Pigeons began the game in scintillating style with debutant Ned Pendergast joining the first kick, first goal club.

Pendergast, one of two debutants alongside Matt Holgate, impressed on-lookers with his strong set of hands and presence throughout the duration of the day. Holgate, son of former Pigeon 1989 Premiership ruckman Matt Holgate, equipped himself strongly in his first senior game, playing to his role competing in the air and on the ground.

A seven goal to none opening quarter blitz seemingly put the game to bed in quick fashion as Harry and Willie Wheeler were on fire in the centre of the ground.

The brothers clearly hold a strong hand in the future successes of the Pigeons and if the pair can both stay fit, Pigeon supporters can expect more of these dominant displays in the games to come.

Harry, a fierce, determined and polished style of player whilst Willie is a smooth mover who shows ultimate class and football smarts around the ground.

The Pigeons were not ready to take the foot off the pedal in the second term. Piling on another six goals in the quarter, which could have potentially been even more with inaccurate kicking for goal.

Mark Whiley, along with many others, was a solid four-quarter performer, playing in a variety of different roles on the ground, wherever it suited the team.

Long-time loyal Pigeon Beau Seymour played his best game for the season, intercepting numerous Hopper attacks and rebounding off the halfback line. Seymour has shown that if he can gather some continuity with his body, he can string some impressive performances together whilst playing his key lockdown role.

The Pigeons were able to keep the Hoppers scoreless until late in the second term until former St Kilda listed player Doulton Langlands had a 5-minute purple patch, booting two majors in quick fashion late in the piece.

With five goals to his name at half time, Leigh Williams was playing another pivotal role up forward. Little did everyone know that the big key forward was about to go to another level in front of the big sticks.

A feature of Williams’ game is his ability to time his leads to perfection, putting a space on his opponent and giving them little chance to defend. Williams, in astonishing fashion, slotted through six of the seven Pigeon goals in the third term.

Once Williams had reached double figures, it was well and truly party time for the Pigeons as it was all one-way traffic. The forward group in Frauenfelder, Meade and Lawrence were working together like a well-oiled machine, playing selfless roles to give Williams as much space as possible.

A further four goals to Williams name saw him reach number fifteen, a performance the Pigeons have not seen since the Brendan Fevola era.

A well-rounded team effort capped off the 124-point victory and the Pigeons will now take a well-earned break with the upcoming bye week.

At the completion of the seven rounds, the Pigeons are clear in second position on the ladder with six wins and one loss. The first game back after the bye will be another potential season defining clash against archrival Albury.

A special shout-out to Connor Griffiths who is nursing a nasty leg infection. The club hope to see a speedy recovery and see Connor back in the hoops as he has proven to be an important cog in the Pigeon line-up.

Griffiths alongside Brandon Symes, Jye Cross, Michael Gibbons and Ryan Bruce are some of the names the Pigeons will be looking to regain to add further strength for the remainder of the season.

Reserves

Yarrawonga 26.16.172 defeated North Albury 1.2.8.

The Reserves have come away with a big win against North Albury on the back of a Jacob Adkins bag of nine goals at the JC Lowe Oval.

With both sides decimated with numbers, the Pigeons were grateful that Marcus ‘Boodz’ Cummins was able to put his hand up to play after a number of years out of the game.

Four players out of the Thirds in Hunter Surrey, Noah Iddles, Oscar Elliot and Sam Hemphill also stepped up as they backed up to play 8 quarters of football. A fantastic effort.

Dominating possession right from the first bounce, the Pigeons only managed three goals as they failed to capitalise on the scoreboard with wayward shots on goal being the downfall. With plenty of supply coming in, Matt McCabe used his athleticism to find room inside 50 whilst Jacob Adkins was looking a big threat and looked set for a big day up forward.

The engine room in Xavier Leslie, Doug Arnold, Reed Bonat and Max Hemphill combined with Ben Radford in the ruck as they were consistently winning the ball at the coalface whilst Tanner Nyholm and Reid Clarke enjoyed the opportunity to run through the midfield and spend some time at the centre bounces.

Coach Matt Grinter pulled on the boots for the first time this season and showed his experience alongside fellow veteran Ross Mulquiney as they both had a big impact on the game in the front end of the ground hitting the scoreboard.

With Grinter on the field, a big shout out must go to Mick Gibbons who took the coaching reigns for the day.

Leading by 70 points at the half time break, the Pigeons felt that they still had plenty left in the tank and if they were able to tidy up their disposal, they could open up the game in a big way in the second half.

A total display of domination in the third term saw the Pigeons kick 10 goals 3 to no score with Jacob Adkins bobbing up in which felt like every 30 seconds.

After missing multiple opportunities in front of goal in the first half, Adkins was able to straighten up and convert truly.

Finishing with an astonishing 9.7 for the day in which can only see his chances of a senior selection recall improve.

Yarrawonga 164-point winners in a percentage-boosting win.

Goals: Jacob Adkins 9, Ross Mulquiney 4, Matt Grinter 2, Matt McCabe 2, Tanner Nyholm 2, Ben Radford 2, Craig Frauenfelder 2, Reed Bonat, Hunter Surrey, Xav Leslie.

Best: Jacob Adkins, Ross Mulquiney, Xavier Leslie, Reid Clarke, Douglas Arnold, Matt McCabe.

Thirds

Yarrawonga 17.14.116 def North Albury 3.3.21.

A 10 goal to none second half has seen the Pigeons Thirds come away big winners at the JC Lowe Oval against North Albury.

Although greeted with picturesque conditions overhead, it took time for players on both sides to find their feet on a slippery surface in the first quarter.

The scrappy contest early halted when Cooper Milbourne decided to put an end to it. Milbourne setting the tone early for the Pigeons with aggressive defensive pressure inside fifty and rewarded with a free kick and goal.

Stand out players in the first quarter were Will Connell who was intercepting numerous across the centre of the ground whilst Tom Oliver was showing signs of a good player, clean below his knees in the slippery conditions.

Dan Psaltaris was another who showed a fierce attack on the football, not hesitating to get into the contest. Psaltaris was a four-quarter performer for the Pigeons, rewarded with a best on ground performance.

Up forward it was Hunter Frauenfelder and Lachie Forge who combined on multiple occasions both hitting the scoreboard in the first term. The pair looked a cut above the rest with their decision making and foot skills.

Oscar Elliot was fantastic for the Pigeons, not shirking a contest and chiming in to kick three goals of his own whilst Hunter Surrey was another who showed his versatility, looking dangerous in front of the big sticks with four goals.

Coach Hornet Frauenfelder was pleased with his team’s ability to kick away in the second half as percentage could prove to be crucial for the Pigeons in the second half of the season.

The victory consolidates fifth spot on the ladder for the Pigeons, just ahead of Corowa-Rutherglen with percentage the only separator.

The Pigeons will be looking to take a big scalp in the second half of the season, with no better opportunity against a red-hot top of the ladder Albury Tigers after the upcoming bye.

Fantastic work to the four men in Hunter Surrey, Noah Iddles, Oscar Elliot and Sam Hemphill who backed up to play in the Reserves.

Goals: Hunter Surrey 4, Lochie Forge 3, Oscar Elliott 3, Cooper Milbourne 2, Dan Psaltiris 2, Griffin Surrey, Darby Pendergast, Hunter Frauenfelder.

Best: Daniel Psaltiras, Oscar Elliott, Addison Psaltiras, Hunter Surrey, Tom Oliver.

Awards: Lochie Forge (Wingates), Ethan Byrne (Aerial Muscle), Cooper Milbourne (Yarra Fish & Chips).

The winner of the YFNC Past Players Gate Raffle was Scott Harbridge of Wodonga with ticket 93852.