A SUPERB individual performance by Ryan O’Loghlin led the Tathra Sea Eagles to a crushing win on Saturday.
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O’Loghlin, who is affectionately known to team-mates as “Reggie”, booted a personal record 22 goals to sink the Eden Whalers.
The Eagles proved far too strong for their opponents, securing a 48.14 (302) to 4.3 (27) victory in round seven of the Sapphire Coast Australian Football League senior competition.
In the absence of key forward Mitch May, O’Loghlin took full control of the forward 50.
O’Loghlin told the BDN he kicked eight goals in the first quarter, two in the second and successive bags of six majors in the last two terms.
He also made the most of his opportunities, booting 22 goals and just two behinds.
“It was pretty good fun,” O’Loghlin said with a laugh.
“I only kicked two points so it was like I couldn’t miss.
“I kicked them from all over the place and with Mitch May out, I had the whole forward 50 to myself.”
O’Loghlin said it was a dominant performance by the Eagles, who continue to build from strength to strength.
“We’re looking good and with numbers coming back, you have to work hard to keep your spot.”
Tathra playing-coach Luke Taylor said it was a brilliant performance by O’Loghlin.
“Reggie was absolutely outstanding – he kicked 22 goals, but also passed off five or six opportunities to team-mates,” he said.
“We love the way he goes about it.”
While O’Loghlin was the obvious standout, Taylor booted nine goals on the half-forward line and young guns Dean Gartside (four) and Cam Burns (three) provided excellent support.
Taylor said the Eagles were excellent across the ground, led by midfielders Jason Ainsworth, Liam Walker-Eastick and Jorden Stafford, while defenders Andrew Nagle and Nathan Armstrong were excellent.
Tathra jumped out of the blocks at the Eden Football Ground, booting 14 goals to one in the first term to lead by 83 points at quarter time.
The rout continued in the second quarter, with the Eagles kicking eight goals to establish a 130-point advantage at the main break.
The visitors refused to take their foot off the accelerator in the second half.
The side booted 14 unanswered goals in the third term to lead by 217 points at three-quarter time.
The final quarter saw the Eagles kick 12 goals to two to round out the 275-point victory.
“It was a one-sided affair, but the scoreboard didn’t reflect how they played,” Taylor said.
“I told the boys that no matter who we play, we have to get things right and we played our game plan to a tee.”
Taylor said he expected Eden to be more competitive in the future.
“They battled it out and didn’t drop their heads – they have some good young talent who will hopefully stick around.”
Near miss for Bombers
Josh Bartlett
THE Bega Bombers were left to rue one poor quarter on Saturday.
After a good start, the Bombers conceded five goals and had a player sent off in the second term against the Pambula Panthers.
It would prove pivotal to the result as Pambula secured a 16.11 (107) to 11.7 (73) victory in round seven of the Sapphire Coast Australian Football League senior competition.
Bega playing-coach Matt Fleet said he was proud of his team’s endeavour, but “we couldn’t quite get there”.
“We challenged them at the start of the day, so it was another great effort,” he said.
“It’s all about respect in our first year.”
Nine goals were kicked in a frantic opening quarter at the Pambula Sporting Complex, with the Panthers holding a seven-point lead at the first break.
However, it all went pear-shaped after quarter time for the visitors.
Fleet said the Bombers conceded five 50-metre penalties, while rugby league convert Michael Edmunds was sent off for a dangerous tackle.
The Panthers took full advantage, booting five goals to nil to extend their advantage to 36 points at the main break.
“The second term proved the difference,” Fleet said.
However, the Bombers refused to give up, kicking four goals to three in the third term to cut the deficit to 32 points.
Both teams booted three goals in the final term, as the Panthers secured a 34-point victory.
The Bombers were driven by another excellent performance by young midfielder Aaron Wheatley, while Luke Kingston dominated the ruck contest.
Nathan Leahy impressed in just his second game, Justin Welsford tagged Pambula star Sean Smith and Damien Stackpole contained key forward Christopher Young.
Young finished with four goals, but was kept goalless while Stackpole was his direct opponent.
Fleet said there were some promising signs on Saturday.
“We were not accountable and undisciplined at times, but our guys are learning all the time,” he said.
“They are all doing the job I ask of them, so we are nearly there.
“We had five new guys on Saturday and four who have just started, so we will get better as we gel as a team.
“The boys all have the hunger to win.”
However, it was better news for the Bombers’ reserve grade side, which recorded a 6.10 (46) to 4.5 (29) victory over Pambula.
After trailing by three points, Bega never looked back, extending its lead in every quarter to secure a 17-point win.