Sport
13 May, 2025
Trentham Saints overpower white-hot Talbot Hawks to earn 33-point victory
The Trentham Saints earned a vital scalp at Talbot Recreation Reserve, grounding the high-flying Hawks in a potentially pivotal 33-point victory.
With the standard both teams have showcased to start the campaign, the Saints’ victory on the road could play a key factor in where these two teams stand as the regular season concludes in August.
Both teams were in top form right from the opening bounce, as momentum swung throughout the first quarter.
The Saints took the early advantage after an entertaining term, kicking five goals to three to take a 12-point lead into the first break.
The second quarter started in a similar vein to the first, but a key 100-metre penalty against Talbot changed the momentum of the game, as the Saints started to wear the Hawks down in the trenches.
As tempers continued to flare between the two sides, Trentham key forwards Jake Keogh and James Regan converted their chances while defenders like Sam Kelly took some great intercept marks to keep the hosts goalless, giving the Saints a 38-point advantage at half time.
The contest continued to be a hard-hitting affair when the teams came out for the second half, as players had to earn first use of the football.
The Saints managed to pin the ball in their attacking half for extended periods of the quarter, eventuating in a three-goal to one quarter to build an insurmountable 53-point lead at the last break.
While Trentham seemed to have the match won, Talbot’s forward line found a second wind in the fourth quarter.
Zac Cicchini was electric in the final term, kicking multiple well-taken goals to help the Hawks alongside Jarrod Stephens to kick six goals straight.
But it wasn’t enough, as Trentham added two fourth-quarter goals to cement their 33-point victory.
With the Hawks’ effective gameplan on Regan limiting the star forward to two goals, Keogh stepped up for the Saints, with his clever forward movement rewarding him with four goals.
Keogh was joined by Kelly, Taylor Ford, Joel Dovaston, Edward Fanning, and Cooper Webber-Mirkin in the Saints’ best players, with Dovaston, Thomas Fuller and Ryan Thiesz chipping in with two goals.
Talbot’s best players included Darcy Osborne, Charles Aitken, Alex Marshall, Cicchini, Lachlan Hind and Matthew York.