August 4, 2013
by Martin Stern
Football South Burnett
Nanango travelled to Kingaroy on Saturday to take on Wests in the last round of fixtures in the Evolution Solar South Burnett Football competition.
Nanango sent out a warning that they are still the team to beat in the semi-finals after winning all three grades convincingly.
* * *
In First Division, Wests started well and were playing some excellent football, taking the match right up to Nanango.
In the 23rd minute, Matt Krosch found the back of the net for Wests but the goal was correctly deemed offside.
Wests continued to dominate but Nanango did have a few chances on the break. Three minutes into the second half Steve Johnston found the back of the net for Nanango with what appeared to be a cross.
Nanango almost got their second in the 48th minute when Damien Walters hit the crossbar with a cannonball of a shot.
However two minutes later Thomas Mangan made no mistake, latching onto a well-placed through ball.
Wests kept on trying to get back into the game but the Nanango defence stood firm.
Nanango started to get on top of Wests, winning vital mid-field possession. In the 71st minute, Steve Johnston got his second of the evening when his shot took a slight deflection from a Wests’ player into the Wests’ net.
Damien Walters inflicted further damage when he cut in behind the Wests’ defence to score.
It was a gallant effort by Wests and the score did not indicate how competitive the match was, but full marks to Nanango for hitting their straps in the second half.
Nanango’s defence was the key to their success, with strong games from Damien Walters and Jeff Froloff. Thomas Mangan and Steve Johnston also had strong games.
For Wests, Harry Sterling put in a courageous effort as did Skippa Litzow and Trent Faunt.
* * *
Nanango women proved too strong for a weakened Wests team.
Wests were without strikers Michelle Hunter and Jacqui Trace and could only manage to field ten players in a match that was a prelude to the semi-final in a couple of weeks.
However both teams put on a great display of competitive football in windy conditions.
Nanango took an early lead in the 8th minute through Kerri Thompson and again five minutes before half-time.
Cassie Kelly put the match beyond doubt in the 60th minute to give Nanango a 3-0 win.
Both teams fought hard and can be proud of their efforts.
Best on the park for Nanango was Cassie Kelly and Raegan Campbell while for Wests it was Minna Black and Mel Hall.
* * *
The Second Division match was played in very difficult windy conditions, but Nanango’s Nathan Ballinger scored in the second minute from a long range speculator into the wind.
The remainder of the first half was very scrappy and neither team really took control of the game.
In the second half, Nanango’s Trevor Adams came out in the second half for a run on the pitch. Nanango started taking control of the game and had the wind at their backs.
In the 60th minute, Trevor Adams was found unmarked and scored Nanango’s second and final goal of the game.
To their credit, West had improved from previous weeks, especially in defence.
Best on the park for Nanango were Nathan Ballinger and Karl Pichlis, while Jamie Neil and Callum Allery had strong games for Wests.
* * *
In Murgon, Gunners ended Barambah’s winning run in second division with a 2-1 win.
Elle Mollenhauer made it known she is a force to be reckoned with by scoring all the goals in her team’s 5-0 thumping of Gunnettes.
Gunners performed well to beat Barambah 6-0 in the First Division match, with Ike Sililat scoring a hat-trick.
Full Results
In Kingaroy
- Division 2: Nanango 2 (Nathan Ballinger, Trevor Adams) defeated Wests 0
- Women: Nanango 3 (Kerri Thompson 2, Cassie Kelly) defeated Wests 0
- Division 1: Nanango 4 (Steve Johnston 2, Thomas Mangan, Damien Walters) defeated Wests 0
In Murgon
- Division 2: Gunners 2 (James Dundas, Callum Cook) defeated Barambah 1 (Kyle Fazackerley)
- Women: Barambah 5 (Elle Mollenhauer 5) defeated Gunnettes 0
- Division 1: Gunners 6 (Ile Sililat 3, Tin Trong, Sam Murray, Zac Strauss) defeated Barambah 0
There are no matches next week due to the Ekka Weekend.
The break will also give clubs to a chance to rest injured players and regroup for the semi-finals.
All six semi-finals will be held in Murgon on Sunday, August 18, from 9:00am.
Winners of the qualification semi-finals will proceed directly to the Grand Final in Nanango on August 31.
Losers will play the winners of the elimination semi-finals in Kingaroy on August 24.
Semi-Final Schedule (at Murgon Showgrounds):
9:00am – 2nd Division Elimination: Barambah v Wests
11:00am – 2nd Division Qualifying: Nanango v Gunners
1:00pm – Women’s Elimination: Barambah v Gunnettes
3:00pm – Women’s Qualifying: Nanango v Wests
5:00pm – 1st Division Elimination: Wests v Barambah
7:00pm – 1st Division Qualifying: Nanango v Gunners
[UPDATED August 5 with correction]
