Sport
22 April, 2026
FOOTY: 15 minutes of grit and hope
But for five minutes, Charlton pulled together a system and style that had been missing in the opening round a week earlier.
JAKE Lawry’s goal late in the third term at Donaldson Park on Saturday capped off a fleeting glimmer for North Central league side Charlton.
The Navies had failed to make an impression on the scoreboard at the slicker Wedderburn.
But for five minutes, Charlton pulled together a system and style that had been missing in the opening round a week earlier.
Pressure was applied on Wedderburn the length of the ground - Mason Heenan, Sean O’Connor , Liam Ireland and Patrick Sait were key cogs along with coach Carl Thiesz and ruckman Ben Lanyon in temporarily stemming the tide.
They helped achieved something missing for most of the game. Despite a scrappy and tight opening five minutes of the first quarter, and a similar effort to start the second, Charlton struggled to go deep into its forward 50. Lanyon was the only consistent position winner for the Navies and exposed Wedderburn’s current lack of a ruckman.
But the Redbacks more than made up for the deficiency as Hamish Lockhart controlled the wing and menacingly helped turnover any short attacking movements from Charlton.
Lockhart and Jackson McEwen had plenty of options down around goal.
Matthew Perri ended the day with seven goals, Tyler Curtis three and Oscar Holt, overcoming some early inaccuracy, booted three. Three of Perri’s goals came in the final term, several well-judged snaps through the sticks.
Lockhart also went deep to kick two majors and was named best in the annual Woosang Cup Challenge.
Directing the dominance of the Redbacks from across the halfback line was coach Tom Metherell. When Charlton did show spirit, it was Metherell who stepped up and deftly switched play across the ground, allowing Wedderburn to play on its terms.
The constant barrage from Wedderburn put huge pressure on the Navies’ defence.
The battled valiantly but came unstuck often, looking for options back deep in Wedderburn’s deep forward territory, kicking short, handballing and being tackled by a fierce Wedderburn combination.
The Navies improved on the opening round, even if the scoreboard indicated something else against a much-improved Redbacks.
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