EAGLEHAWK’S Matt Gretgrix has again proven a major thorn in the side of Kyneton with another match-winning bag of goals.
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Star forward Gretgrix put an end to Kyneton’s season with a nine-goal haul in last year’s elimination final.
And on Saturday he kicked another nine as the Hawks kept intact an unbeaten run of Canterbury Park wins against the Tigers that stretches back to 2003 with a seven-point victory in a round seven shootout.
The Hawks prevailed 18.11 (119) to 17.10 (112), their first score over 100 for the season, to improve their BFNL record to 5-2.
Such is the tightness of the competition among the top six teams, Saturday’s loss saw the Tigers fall from third to sixth on the ladder.
As well as Gretgrix’s bag, down the other end Kyneton’s Ben Weightman was also lively with a haul of seven goals, which included three in the first term.
Gretgrix wasted no time making his mark on the contest. By the 17-minute mark of the first quarter he had kicked three goals.
The veteran added another two in the second quarter, two in the third and two in the last.
He had booted seven goals before his first miss, while late in the game he squandered a golden opportunity to kick his 10th when he sprayed a 20m set-shot to the right.
In what was a free-flowing contest, the Tigers led by 17 points during the second quarter – 9.6 to 7.1 – as they brought plenty of heat to the contest, forcing the Hawks to turn the ball over and winning the crucial midfield battle.
The Tigers’ tackle pressure was exemplified in one three-minute patch when they were awarded three holding the ball free kicks.
What was telling, though, for the Hawks was their conversion in front of goal that kept them within striking distance.
After Gretgrix kicked the last two goals of the second quarter, the Hawks went into half-time with 9.1 on the board and only trailing the Tigers’ 9.7 by six points.
Having gained some momentum late in the second term, the Hawks, with coach Josh Bowe leading the charge, continued to press in the third quarter in what became the telling period of the game when they added 5.6 to 3.1 to build an 11-point lead at the last change.
Highlighting the vigour of the Hawks in the third term was the desperate effort of Brenton Conforti, who played well across half-forward, to sprint to force a spoil and then win a free kick.
The Hawks’ advantage grew to a game high 24 points during the last quarter when Cameron McGlashan kicked his second goal.
But the Tigers fought on with the last three goals of the game – two of which were long-range set-shots to Patrick McCarthy, who had started the day on Gretgrix, and Nick Brazil – to cut the final deficit to seven points as for the second time in three games they were beaten, despite having kicked a score of more than 100.
