Football
16 April, 2025
Kaniva Leeor United coach praises key forward 10 major in Cougars win.
A masterclass in goalkicking from Jacob Eats has helped Kaniva Leeor win its first match of 2025.
Eats kicked 10 goals for the Cougars in the 18.5 (113) to 15.5 (95) victory against Natimuk United.
Coach Jonno Hicks praised his team’s effort in testing conditions.
“We started well, as we did the week before, too,” he said.
“We knew it would be hot, but we prepared well.
“It was tough going out there so it was nice to get the win.”
Both teams came out strong, with the hosts kicking six goals in the opening term to Natimuk United’s four.
The Cougars upped the ante in the second quarter, kicking seven to go into the main break six goals in front.
However, the warmer weather and the Rams’ adjustments saw Kaniva Leeor’s lead cut in half.
“The men obviously had issues in the second half, and [Natimuk United] came out well after halftime and got a run on,” Hicks said.
“I thought it was ours to win or lose at halftime, and then we came out pretty poorly in the third quarter.”
Hicks’ message at the final break was simple: calm down.
“I think we panicked once they started coming back,” he said.
“We panicked with the footy in our back half, compounding our stress levels.
“We didn’t always have to, you know, go chaos ball and turn it over.
“Sometimes, we can take our time to control the tempo and be a little smarter with it.”
Key personnel changes saw the Cougars limit the Rams to five scoring shots in the final quarter while kicking four goals straight.
“We’ve got a really young side and they’re learning,” Hicks said.
“There’s still a bit of development there about trying to make decisions within the situation.”
Part of that simple decision-making was to feed the ball to Eats.
“He was having a great day,” Hicks said.
“He’s a very handy weapon up there and a hard match-up.
“Our delivery of the forward half, especially in the first half, was great. He was getting silver service.”
Hicks highlighted his young back six, who adjusted well against Rams’ forward Will Taylor.
“We’ve got a really young backline in terms of age and senior games, too,” he said.
“They’re learning as they go. We shuffled a couple of guys and moved Dylan Natt into the back line, which really got down there too.”