EIGHT goals from Horsham Saints veteran full-forward Gavin Kelm helped his side move a step closer to another Wimmera Football League grand final berth on Saturday.
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The Saints proved too good for an unconvincing Warrack Eagles outfit, claiming a 12.10 (82) to 10.5 (65) qualifying final victory at Murtoa Recreation Reserve.
The win will see the Saints battle Horsham in a semi-final on Saturday for direct entry into the grand final.
Saints coach Shayne Breuer said he was thrilled with the win, which was his side’s first against the Eagles this season.
“I’m rapt with the way the guys went about it,” he said.
“The intensity around the ball and the guys’ pressure was really pleasing.
“To hit targets and put the score on the board – especially against Warrack – was important and we did that early.”
In perfect football conditions, the Saints settled into the contest as the quicker of the two teams.
Midfield dynamo Sam Clyne found the ball half a dozen times in the first three minutes, with Kelm kicking his first and the first of the match seven minutes in.
Kelm had four goals at quarter-time as a slicker Saints unit deservedly led by three goals.
The Saints spearhead added a further three majors in the second quarter through a combination of strong one-one-on one marking and some superb delivery, with the Saints extending their lead to 23 points at the major break.
Breuer’s men arguably should have led by more, having 32 inside-50s to the Eagles’ 19 in the first half.
The Eagles held their own around the stoppages, leading the Saints 23-19 in clearances at the major break.
But they were stagnant, struggled to hit targets regularly by foot and were turning the ball over far too often.
Eagles coach Tim Inkster said his side was unable to affect the game the way it would have liked to in the first half.
“The clearances and stoppages were pretty close, but the way they moved it away from the traffic was a lot more efficient than us,” he said.
“We just couldn’t get any clear run through the middle of the ground.”
Injured captain Ben Harrison’s absence was noticeable, with the Eagles struggling to transition out of defence.
Inkster swung the changes at half-time, with Jacob Cheney replacing Jayden Werner on Kelm and key forward Jae McGrath moving into defence.
But goals to Pat Knott and Clyne, who found the ball at will throughout all four quarters, helped the Saints gain a 35-point advantage 14 minutes into the third term.
After scrapping to stay in the game for the first two quarters, the Eagles looked out of the match.
But the likes of Riley Morrow, Dale Hinkley and Clayton Hinkley started to provide some run to pull their side back into the contest.
“We actually took the game on, took a risk and broke the lines,” Inkster said.
A pair of goals to Brad Krahe in as many minutes sparked the Eagles to life before Jake Peters added another a minute later to bring the margin back to three kicks.
With the match well and truly in the balance, Keegan Mellington missed from 30 metres out on the run, before Clayton Hinkley snapped truly at a stoppage to reduce the Eagles’ deficit to 11 points on the stroke of three-quarter-time.
Breuer said the break came at the perfect time for his side.
“They got three in pretty quick succession,” he said.
“The pleasing thing was our guys can reverse it and shut it down and get it going our way – that’s probably something we haven’t done really well this year, especially against Warrack.”
Saint Knott opened the final term in style, making no mistake from 20 metres out on the run to kick his second.
Both he and Kelm both missed opportunities to extend the Saints’ advantage, as neither side managed to make a real impact on the scoreboard until the quarter’s midway point.
A goal to Inkster at the 16-minute mark gave the Eagles a much-needed boost, reducing the margin to 17 points.
But an Eagles turnover at half-forward was quickly maximised by the Saints up the other end, with Kelm on the end of a lace-out pass and adding his eighth goal.
Peter Weir pulled in a hanger to provide a response a minute later, but neither side could add to their score in the final five minutes.
Clyne was sensational for the Saints, Kelm dominated the forward arc and ruckman Michael Rowe and defender Hallam were influential.
Breuer was full of praise for Kelm.
“He was on top early, which was great – it’s fantastic when he’s up and about,” he said.
Defender Cheney was the Eagles’ best, with midfielders Morrow and Clayton Hinkley also among the side’s better contributors.
The Eagles will meet Ararat at Horsham City Oval on Sunday.
