Sport
21 July, 2026
Win slips away from Saints
Wraps for the Under 17 and Under 14 Saints footballers
THE weather deteriorated as the Under 17s got underway, making conditions slippery and clean ball pick ups hard to come by.
Sea Lake were quick to put the first goal on the board and St Arnaud were busy in backline for most of the quarter.
Sea Lake was comfortably in front at the first break, leading 22-2.
St Arnaud was under relentless pressure in the second quarter and found it difficult to move forward.
But they continued to defend hard and applied tackles at every opportunity.
Coach, Mark Mactaggart addressed the group at half time and encouraged all to win the one-on-one contest and get a much needed score on the board after finishing 28-2. The tussle continued throughout the third quarter for not a lot of score added to the board for either side finishing 36-9.
St Arnaud got some forward flow happening in the last quarter with impressive passages of play, but it wasn’t enough with the final result 49-22.
UNDER 14
Saints Shine in Wintery Win Over Tigers
The St Arnaud Saints Under 14s powered to a commanding 78-point victory over the Sea Lake Tigers at Lord Nelson Park on a cold, rainy and gloomy winter’s day.
Despite the challenging conditions, the Saints started strongly, with Lewis Ezard and Isaac Johns both unlucky to hit the post before Finn Evans kicked the opening major. Great teamwork from Darcy Brooks-Oaks, Ned McNaulty, Sam Greenaway and Callan Wickham helped set the tone, while further goals to Finn Evans and Lewis Ezard saw the Saints take a 21-0 lead into quarter time.
The Saints continued to dominate in the second term. Charlie Kirk and Lewis Lowe combined brilliantly, while Finn Evans added two more goals. Ned McNaulty and Arley Reyne worked tirelessly around the ground as St Arnaud extended its lead to 47-2 by half-time.
A positional reshuffle and an encouraging half-time message from the coaches sparked another dominant quarter. Finn Evans and Maddox Stewart combined for an excellent goal, while strong defensive pressure from Jack McNally and Xavier Taylor ensured the Tigers struggled to move the ball forward. Finn Evans added another major before Maddox Stewart finished off some great teamwork with Ned Ezard to help the Saints take an 81-2 lead into the final break.
With the rain starting to fall in the last quarter, Ned Ezard capped off another strong team performance with the Saints’ final goal as St Arnaud cruised to a convincing 13.10 (88) to 1.4 (10) victory.
Best players: Darcy Brooks-Oaks, Charlie Kirk, Finn Evans, Lewis Lowe, Sam Greenaway and Jack McNally.
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