March 30, 2015
by Martin Stern
Nanango travelled to Kingaroy on Saturday for a much anticipated round of football against arch-rivals Wests.
After Nanango ran away with most of the points in last week’s start-of-the-season match against some slightly under-strength Barambah sides, fans were keen to see whether they could maintain their form.
As things turned out, Panthers proved they still have the same mastery of the ball that’s propelled them to three consecutive Grand Final victories in the last three seasons.
And they look like remaining the team to beat in this year’s competition.
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In Second Division, Wests went to an early lead in the 7th minute with a magnificent strike from a free kick by Mauro Buzzo just outside the penalty box.
Wests had most of the possession in the first half, but were unable to finish any chances.
They went to the half time break with a one goal lead.
Nanango looked a little better in the second half and were awarded a penalty kick for a Wests handball.
However Karl Pichlis hit the post with his attempt and Wests were given a reprieve.
But it wasn’t long until Nanango got an equaliser through Jessie Lean, who blasted the ball in from outside the box with the keeper off his line in the 59th minute.
Shortly after Wests came close, when Harry Pratt hit the post.
In the 62nd minute Ryan Francis put Wests back in the lead.
At this point in the match it looked like they might hang on.
But with four minutes to go, Phillip Cooke scored for Nanango, which meant that both teams shared the points.
Best for Nanango was Matt Krosch, while for Wests it was Mauro Buzzo.
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The Women’s Division game was the first time the two teams had met since last year’s Grand Final, when a Wests own goal towards the end of an otherwise even match had given the Panthers the trophy.
On Saturday, Nanango hit the lead early through Raegan Campbell in the 7th minute, followed by another goal through Jess Ehrlich in the 17th minute.
Wests were constantly held in their half by the Nanango attack, which piled on the pressure.
Just before half time, Raegan Campbell got her second, and Nanango went to the break leading 3-0.
The second half was much the same: the Wests defence played bravely, but with lack of attacking options were once again pressed into their own half.
Cass Kelly was rewarded for all her hard work, scoring from a cross to the far post to bring the Panthers to a 4-nil lead..
And six minutes later, Raegan Campbell completed her hat trick to give the match to the Panthers 5-0 (Raegan already looks the goods to get the Golden Boot Award).
Best for Nanango was Raegan Campbell, and for Wests, Danielle Maudsley.
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The highly anticipated First Division game between Wests and Panthers started off very evenly, but 26 minutes in Kieran Mangan pounced on a loose ball in the Wests penalty box to give Nanango the lead.
Ten minutes later, he found another hole in the Wests defence to make it 2-0.
And in the 42nd minute, Kieran Mangan completed his hat trick three minutes before half time to give the Panthers a 3-0 lead.
Just before half time, this increased to 4-0 with a goal from Elliot Mangan.
But Wests came out fighting in the second half.
Brandon Smith pulled two goals back for Wests in the 60th and 62nd minutes, exploiting a gap in the middle of the Nanango defence.
This meant the score stood at a respectable 4-2 for six minutes until Kyron Tunstall put paid to a Wests revival in the 68th minute.
Then Kieran Mangan chimed in with a fourth goal in the 79th minute to put the icing on the cake.
The final score was a 6-2 win to Nanango, and Wests will have a lot more work to do if they want to challenge for the this year’s title.
The main difference in this match was that Nanango punished nearly all Wests defensive errors, while Wests still seem to have trouble capitalising on their chances up front.
Best on the park for Nanango was Kieran Mangan, while for Wests it was Joel Cooper.
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2nd Round Results
In Kingaroy:
- Division 2: Wests 2 (Mauro Buzzo 7th, Ryan Francis 62nd) – Nanango 2 (Jesse Lean 59th, Phillip Cooke 76th)
- Women’s Division:Nanango 5 (Raegan Campbell 7th, 32nd, 54th;, Cassie Kelly 48th, Jess Ehrlich 17th) – Wests 0
- Division 1: Nanango 6 (Kieran Mangan 20th, 36th, 42nd, 79th Elliot Mangan 46th, Kyron Tunstall 68th) – Wests 2 (Brandon Smith 60th, 62nd)
In Wondai:
- Division 2: Barambah 2 (Hayden Rennie 23rd, 66th) – Gunners 3 ( Jack McBlane 52, Brendan Kelly 71,80)
- Women’s Division: Barambah 3 (Taylah Berlin 33rd, 64th; Emma Sippel 59th) – Gunnettes 0
- Division 1: Barambah 1 (Ayden Connolly 73rd) – Gunners 1 (Anuwat Silalat 90th)
There will be no matches for the next two weekends because of the Easter holidays.
Round 3 of the competition will be played at Kingaroy and Murgon on Saturday, April 18:
- Kingaroy: Gunners v Panthers
- Murgon: Barambah v Wests
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Junior Soccer
The Kingaroy Junior Redbacks got into the swing of things on Saturday with a pre-season carnival in at the club’s Kingaroy grounds.
Play took place on Saturday morning and attracted large crowds of participants.
