Round 15 - Sunday August 5, 2007
Riverina Football League
Venue: Griffith Exies Oval 2.10pm
Umpires: Peter Hughes, Duncan Potts and Rob Wilson (RUA)
Griffith ....................... 6.1 ..9.4 .. 14.7 .. 24.10 (154)
Mangoplah-CUE ..... 1.5 .. 3.8 .. 6.11 .. 7.13 (55)
GRIFFITH: Myles Bunn, Simon Spiers, Roger Heenan; Brendan Giason, Joel Brown, James Toscan; Ben Ford, Luke McLean, Jonathon Gastin; Craig Conlan, Mathew Crack, Dean Crack; Jason Malone, Shaun Curran, Daniel Meade; Jeff Mickan, Matthew McDonald, Michael Duncan; Jason Hampel, Matthew Kenny, Andrew Cappello
MANGOPLAH-COOKARDINIA UNITED-EASTLAKES: Stace Creasy, Brad Turner; Geoff Spriggs; Trent Cohalan, Mitch Balding, Kurt Thompson; Dylan De Britt, Chris Higgins, Brad Roberson; Jordan Foster, Andrew Wild, Matthew Finemore; Mitch Heydon, Dean Howard, Adam Howard; Sam Balding, Jack Killalea, Graeme Reid; Matt Warden, Craig Websdale, Brett Howard
GOALS
Griffith: D Meade 5, J Toscan 4, D Crack 4, L McLean 3, C Conlan 3, M McDonald 2, J Gastin, J Malone, S Curran
Mangoplah-CUE: M Heyden 3, J Foster 2, C Websdale, T Cohalan
BEST PLAYERS
Griffith: M McDonald, J Mickan, M Duncan, C Conlan, B Ford, D Meade 
Mangoplah-CUE: G Spriggs, S Balding, M Heydon, A Howard, B Turner, K Thompson

A summary of match report, with thanks
While there's life there's always hope for the Griffith Swans as they kept their faint final hopes alive with a resounding 99-point win over Mangoplah-Cookardina United-Eastlakes at Exies Oval. The Swans' afternoon was capped off with a stirring 10-goal final quarter, as the usual suspects Matt McDonald, Mick Duncan and Ben Ford dominated the midfield Daniel Meade was a strong target up forward, booting five goals in another classy performance. The Swans are now within striking distance of a top-five finish to the season and sit just one win behind Eastern Hawks and the Goannas, who occupy fifth and sixth respectively.

Griffith task of stealing an unlikely finals berth was made considerably easier after the Hawks went down to Turvey Park on Saturday, but the Swans captain-coach Luke McLean remained coy about the side's chances. "We're playing some good footy and I thought we tackled really well today," McLean said. "We've just got to win all our games and then the rest will take care of itself.

We've got Narrandera next week and it's good to be playing this style of footy, but it should be a good test.

The Swans dictated proceedings in the opening quarter when Meade, McDonald and Conlan goaled in quick succession. Dean Crack who also earned McLean's praise for his work on the forward line, adding the first of his four majors as the Swans skipped out to a 31-3 lead.

MCUE's atrocious accuracy in front of goals cost it any chance of reeling in the home side, as Jordan Foster was the only Goanna who converted a set shot. The Swans' intensity dropped after quarter time, but they managed to keep the Goannas at bay, with Duncan and McDonald running freely. Crucial goals to Jason Malone and James Toscan further frustrated MCUE, as the visitors could not convert their territorial dominance. Again, the Swans stormed out of the blocks in the third term with goals to McLean, McDonald and Meade as they built up their insurmountable lead.

By the start of the final quarter the Swans were up by 45 points and any thoughts of a gallant MCUE fight back were suffocated mercilessly.

It was like a training run for the Swans in the final term, with Meade, McLean, Crack and McDonald adding to their burgeoning tallies. Myles Bunn and Jeff Mickan worked well together in defence for the Swans in the final quarter, limiting the Goannas to just eight points.

(By Will Gilroy - The Area News, Monday August 6, 2007)

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OTHER MATCHES - SAT: Eastern Hawks 10.12 (72) def by Turvey Park 11.13 (79), Leeton-Whitton 8.4 (52) def by Wagga Tigers 31.24 (210); SUN: Ganmain-GGM 22.15 (147) def Coolamon 15.10 (100); Narrandera, bye

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Reserves: Griffith 10.14 (74) def Mangoplah-CUE 6.8 (44)
Goals: C Forwood 2, K Duncan 2, M Hogan 2, D McGreal, D Jamieson, M Harris, R Duncan 
Best players: D Scott, C Lugton, D Jamieson, J Smith, G Foley 
Under 18: Mangoplah-CUE 14.5 (89) def Griffith 9.12 (66)
Goals: D Keenan 2, J Geddes 2, J Iemma 2, M Tyndall, M Vitucci, R Bull 
Best players: L Piccolo, M Vitucci, J Geddes, R Bull, W Makerinen, J Fallon