Kingston won the contest of the unbeaten teams when they defeated Kybybolite by 62 points. The Saints were in control of the contest for most of the game and came away with the win.
Kingston were on top in general play from the opening bounce as Kingston coach Alex Barns gave the on-ball brigade of Kingston great service with his ruck taps. Ben Kennedy, Harry Tunkin, Thomas Matsouliadis and William Watts were the prime receivers from Barns ruck work. Thomas Matsouliadis kicked the first goal of the game for Kingston. Alex Barns kicked Kingston’s second goal after Ben Kennedy did some great work to get him the ball. Kybybolite tried to attack to get some score on the board, but Kingston’s defence, led by Orestis Gambranis and Campbell Watts, were rebounding anything the Tigers tried to get going in the forward line. Kybybolite defended pretty well and held Kingston to two goals in the first quarter. Jamie Bettoncelli, Callum Masters and Tom Kitschke defended strongly for Kybybolite. Kingston led at quarter time by 14 points. Billy Stretch, William Thorp and Lachlan McKenzie showed good early signs for the Tigers.
Kingston started the second quarter with lots of running drives as they put the first goal on the board in the second quarter through Ben Kennedy. Ben was looking dangerous around the ground as he gathered many touches. Kybybolite got their first goal of the game as they looked to stay in touch with the Saints. Kybybolite scored through Thomas Taheny to bring the Saints’ lead back to 15 points. Kingston hit back as their tall timber was proving problems for the Tigers. Goals from Alex Barns and Tyler Baker pushed Kingston’s lead out to 28 points. Hagan Wright, Campbell Watts and Ben Kennedy were providing the Saints with a lot of drive. Jack Harding was a great link-up player for the Saints. Kybybolite stayed in the contest as Billy Stretch kicked a goal before halftime. Billy had a solid first half for the Tigers, gathering disposals around the ground. Kingston went into halftime 19 points ahead.
Kingston took hold of the third quarter as they dominated the play. Kingston kicked the quarters only three goals, and were able to stretch the margin out to 39 points by three-quarter time. Todd Lockwood, Hagan Wright and Sam Robertson were added to the Saints’ goal-kicking list. The Saints controlled the play as Ben Kennedy was everywhere gathering touches. Campbell Watts, Hagan Wright, Jack Harding and Alex Barns were strong contributors during the third quarter. Tom Klitschke, Jamie Bettoncelli, and the Kybybolite backline kept fighting and were able to hold Kingston to three goals during the third quarter. The Tigers couldn’t get any goals or meaningful forward attacks as the Saints were strong defensively. Orestis Gambranis, Campbell Watts, Chris Draper, Tom Rogers, Jack Armfield and Ben Rogers formed a strong backline set-up that was hard to get through.
Kybybolite tried to breathe some life into the contest in the fourth quarter, kicking the first goal of the quarter. Ben Phelan put through the Tigers’ third goal. Billy Stretch, William Thorp and Lachlan McKenzie were running the game out well for the Tigers. Kingston put the foot down as Hagan Wright put through two goals, followed by singles to Ben Kennedy, Todd Lockwood and Thomas Matsouliadis. Kingston was up by 68 points and looking for a percentage-boosting victory. Kybybolite got a late goal from William Shepherd, but it wasn’t enough as the Saints won the game convincingly by 62 points.
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