UGSFL Round 5: Wickepin make it five straight wins, Katanning bounce back to form and Williams go down at home

Katanning Wanderers notched their third win of the season with a 148-point victory against Wagin at Quartermaine Oval on Saturday, 26.19 (175) to 4.3 (27). The Upper Great Southern Football League round five fixture doubled as Pink for Piper Day, which celebrates the life of Piper Collard, who sadly died in 2019. In windy conditions the Bulldogs kicked with the breeze, but the Tigers were determined to bounce back from consecutive defeats in the previous two rounds and outscored their rivals by 48 points in the first term. The Tigers continued to dominate proceedings, piling on seven more goals and holding the Bulldogs to 1.2 at the end of the first half as they stretched the margin to 87 points. Young defender Brock Green set the tone for the second half, launching a long goal from outside 50m against the breeze. The Tigers lumped more despair on to the Bulldogs’ defence as they booted 12 majors in the second half, handing the dejected visitors their fifth defeat of the year. Mercurial small forward Dionne Woods was at his best with eight goals alongside strong leading full forward Josh Goodwin (six goals), while midfield ace Callum Hansen (four goals) also joined the party. Midfielders William Roe and Josh McMahon were terrific alongside Liam Hansen, while Kerry Crosby, Khallon Zilm, Liam Hansen, Mitchell Banks and James Laurino rounded out the best Wanderers players on the day. Wagin’s Luke Moore (three goals) provided the main avenue for the Bulldogs, and teammates Hamish Jannings, Alex Mancini and Josh Kirk were strong contributors. The win takes Wanderers back into third place on the ladder, with a highly anticipated grand final replay against Williams set down for this week. Wickepin remain undefeated in the UGSFL following their 23-point win over the Narrogin Hawks at Narrogin on Saturday. The Hawks enjoyed a promising start but a four-goal second term to the Warriors set the tone for the rest of the game as the home side failed to find a way back into the contest, going down 5.15 (45) to 9.14 (68). Boddington cemented second spot on the ladder with their 57-point victory over Brookton-Pingelly in Pingelly on Saturday. The Panthers were within 15 points at the main break but a 10-goal second term to the Eagles proved the difference as the visitors cruised to a 14.15 (99) to 5.12 (42) win. Kukerin-Dumbleyung led Williams at every change in their 14.10 (94) to 10.8 (68) victory at Williams on Sunday.