It was country footy at its finest, as a crowd of around 3000 packed the Finley football ground to see retired AFL star Tom Hawkins return for a one-off appearance for his home town club.
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What better way to return for Hawkins than against club arch-rival the Deni Rams under lights for the traditional and forever fierce Good Friday clash.
You could argue that the hulking full forward was the difference, with the Cats winning the arm wrestle by just 15 points.
He slotted four goals but was well held by Rams skipper Mick Barnett, despite the latter giving away a lot of size.
The Cats started the better of the two sides, kicking the opening two goals, the first a dubious 50m penalty putting Hawkins on the goal line.
Rams forward pocket Zac Free popped up with a roving goal and the Rams were on the board, but the Cats kicked one late to take a two-goal lead at the break.
Finley’s tackle pressure was intense, and the Rams struggled to get a clear path to the forward line, with the home side giving plenty of attention to Deni’s star duo, Sam and Cooper Willoughby.
Cooper hit the scoreboard with a goal in the second term, but unfortunately not long after copped a knee injury that sidelined him for the game, leaving a hole up forward for the visitors.
You couldn’t fault Deni’s effort and intensity, with co-coach John Anstee helping Barnett with the job on Hawkins.
Finley were slightly better with their foot skills, thanks to the likes of Will Sexton and Jesse McDonald.
Both sides kicked two goals for the term but Deni just couldn’t quite bridge the gap.
The arm wrestle battle continued in the second half, with Sam Willoughby and Charlie Hillier trying to ignite their team in the centre bounce contest, but the Cats retained their tackle pressure on the ball carrier which forced errors.
In the end, Hawkins put the icing on the cake with a mark and goal from about 40m on an angle to kick his fourth late in the last term.
The Cats were home by 15 points.
Deni’s defence battled manfully all night, with Darcy Cullenward, Cable Fitzpatrick and Bailey Townend able to hold their heads high in defeat.
Final score: Finley 9.10 (64) def Deni 6.13 (49).
Goals: Charlie Hillier 2, Zac Free, Miller Fitzpatrick, Sam Willoughby, Cooper Willoughby.
Best players: Mick Barnett, Darcy Cullenward, Harry Hillier, Sam Willoughby, Charlie Hillier, Bailey Townsend.
Reserves
The Rams Magoos gave Finley an eight-goal start before kicking into gear.
The visitors did well to fight their way back into the game, and at one stage it looked as if they were in for a big loss.
Overall it was only a 19 point margin.
Monte Barnes was best afield for the Rams, playing mostly in defence and marking strongly.
Joel Park was another good player in the ruck, while Jake Herberte and Lachie Cooke showed plenty of dash and tackled well.
Jack Sides and Billy Michael were the other good players for the visitors.
Final score: Finley 11.4 (70) def Deni 7.9 (51) .
Goals: Ben Nisbet 2, Lachie Marshall 2, Brodie Park, Mick Everett, Brodie Mcquie.
Best players: Monte Barnes, Joel Park, Jake Herberte, Jack Sides, Billy Michael, Lachie Cooke.
Thirds
The boys pulled into their 2.45pm game with the temperature holding steady at 32°C, but the boys soaked up the sun and jumped the gates with a seven goal first quarter.
The boys linked up very well from one end to the other, making a concentrated effort to use the ball efficiently, and ended the game proving too strong for our cross-town rivals.
Final score: Deni 13.10 (88) def Finley 0.2 (2).
Goals: Dexter Hardman 3, Chase Bartlett 2, Charlie Bull 2, Josh Todd 2, Tom Murray 2, Sam Crossley, Ted Wren.
Best players: Chase Bartlett, Andrew Smith, Charlie Bull, Charlie McCallum, Henry Robinson, Dexter Hardman.
Fourths
Coming into a big clash against arch rivals the Finley Cats, the Rams fourths knew it was going to be a battle and a hard-fought game.
A massive crowd was supporting and getting behind the young Rams, and the first half saw both teams applying heaps of pressure.
The Rams were spreading from the contest using hands, linking up from half-back and hitting crucial kicks in the middle of the ground.
This resulted in the Rams consistently controlling possession, adding to the scoreboard while maintaining the pressure with tackles.
The game was played in great spirits and a strong team performance to have the rams get over the line.
Final score: Deni 16.19 (115) def Finley 0.1 (1).
Goals: Oliver Ives 3, Logan Elphick 3, Bentley Hardman 2, Angus Henderson 2, Thomas Marshall 2, Ari Strongman, Jack Murray, Kade Golds.
Best players: Logan Elphick, Bentley Hardman, Angus Henderson, Chanze Egan, Thomas Dudley.
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