Crows claim massive scalp on road as Lions break hoodoo at Robertson Oval

In the end it was a point to James Rourke that won the game for the Crows as they prevailed 9.10 (64) to 9.9 (63) in a thrilling encounter.

The Crows hung tough all afternoon against a strong Bulldogs outfit and coach Tom Groves was delighted with the effort from his side to produce one of the upsets of the season.

"Yeah I'm very proud of the boys," Groves said.

"It was fantastic, obviously it's always a tough road trip especially the last couple of years and credit to the boys as they just kept staying in the fight.

"They just worked their butts off all day and they got the reward in the end which is fantastic.

"We primed ourselves ready for it obviously as we do every week and it's great to get some reward for the boys.

"It gives them that bit of belief I suppose that if they bring that effort and belief every week what they can do."

The Bulldogs had the edge in the opening half as they went into the sheds at halftime with a 13-point lead.

However five goals to three in the third term from the Crows narrowed that margin to just a single point heading into the last quarter at Maher Oval.

Groves confirmed there were some very nervous times for the majority of that final 30 minutes of the contest.

"Yeah definitely," he said.

"They come out and kicked the first goal and a point after that too I think, so it put us on the back foot straightaway.

"But we just stuck in there and we just gave ourselves opportunities all day which we just had to take, in the second half we really did take them.

"There were a couple of crucial goals late with (Matt) Rainbird kicking one from nearly 50 metres which you don't see very often, in the last quarter especially.

"Then James Rourke kicked the winning point, it looked like it was a goal but anyway it was a point and we held on."

Seventeen-year-old Lewis Henley starred for the Crows in the ruck and was among their top performers in the win.

Groves credited the efforts of the teenager who has continued to improve each week in what can be a difficult position to play.

"He really took his game to the next level," he said.

"He's a very quiet fella and he's been given the task to play ruck as a 17-year-old which can be a bit daunting.

"But he stepped up to the challenge today and he was really strong in there for us, he really got our mids going which is a real credit to him and his character for a young fella."

Jade Hodge also continued his dominant start to the season with another three important goals in the Crows victory.

Groves revealed Hodge wasn't exactly accurate in the early stages of the game, but said he kicked some goals at crucial stages of the contest.

"He wasn't real straight-shooting to start off with," he said.

"I think he was 1.5 in the first half, but he kicked a couple of crucial ones in the second half which was fantastic.

"He provides that bit of leadership and we had Nathan Finnen come in as well which gave us a different look going forward."

The Crows only recorded two victories across the 2022-23 seasons and they were on the receiving end of some pretty hefty defeats during those couple of tough years.

Groves believed the win against the Bulldogs was massive for the club and hoped it would provide a spark they could carry into the coming weeks.

"It's a whole club win really," he said.

"It's fantastic and builds that belief for everyone, it's obviously been pretty tough going for the last couple of years.

"But to see another step forward and take a big scalp like Turvey it's fantastic for the club, we can really build off that which is great.

"We had a couple of handy in's which gave us a bit of a different scope going forward which was good.

"I'm very proud of the boys and they really deserve the win for all their efforts they put in."

Full Time

Leeton-Whitton 1.1 2.7 7.8 9.10 (64)

Turvey Park 2.3 4.8 7.9 9.9 (63)

GOALS: Leeton-Whitton: J Hodge 3, T Doyle 2, T Groves 2, N Finnen, M Rainbird; Turvey Park: J Margosis 3, W Ford 2, J Peters 2, R Leary, A Wolter

BEST: Leeton-Whitton: L Henley, T Meline, J Rourke, K Stockton, M Rainbird, A Crelley; Turvey Park: J Peters, J Margosis, B Lewington, H Smith, B Harmer, A Wolter

Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong ended a recent hoodoo at Robertson Oval as they defeated Wagga Tigers by 58 points.

The Lions had not defeated the Tigers at the venue since 2018 and it had proved to be a bit of a bogey fixture for the dominant GGGM outfit over the last couple of seasons.

However they had no such troubles today, as they kicked seven goals to one after halftime to run out comfortable 15.15 (105) to 7.5 (47) winners over the Tigers.

It's the Lions third win of the season and GGGM coach Sam Martyn was delighted his side could finally overcome their recent troubles at Robertson Oval.

"Regardless of the scoreboard today, it was just really good to win and sing that song at the end of the game," Martyn said.

"It's been a long time since it's been heard in those four walls in that change room, so it was really pleasing and just the joy it brought our playing group too.

"There would be a very small amount of players in our existing playing group that have won there, so to get that monkey off the back and play a good brand of footy there was a great result for us."

Kirk Mahon had a terrific game for the Lions in their victory and he was one of their top performers alongside Tom Banuelos and Ben Walsh.

Martyn praised the efforts of Mahon and he believed a change of roles allowed him to have a substantial impact on the contest.

"Yeah Kirky was exceptional," he said.

"He started at halfback and Wagga really took it to us in the early stages of that game.

"We probably just needed a bit of expertise in terms of someone who's got a bigger body and can win those stoppages and clearances and give us first looks to our forwards.

"Kirky was really prominent in that regard and just his linkup play was exceptional too and his ability to get off his man.

"He run all day and I reckon he would've led our team in handball receives, he had a really good day."

Jack McCaig also continued his impressive start to the season with another three goals against the Tigers.

Martyn credited the efforts of the hard working forward and said he did his best work when the game was in the balance early.

"Keggy was awesome," he said.

"I think he did his damage in the first half and we love playing with Keggy, internally he's so highly regarded.

"I've never seen a player come off the ground more exhausted than he does because he just works tirelessly.

"He got his reward in the first half and then some others got a lick of the ice cream later on, but when the game was in the balance he was one that stood up and got us going."

The Lions exit round three at 3-0 after notching up wins against Coolamon, Narrandera and now the Tigers.

Martyn conceded they've still got some things to work on, but he believed their performance against the Tigers was a step in the right direction.

"I think our ball movement was something that was really pleasing," he said.

"That's something that's getting better each and every game, I thought our structure behind the footy was really good too.

"Especially in the second half, they converted really well in the first half I think they were six straight but we were able to curve their influence in the second half and kept them to one goal.

"We've kicked 15.15 so conversion is an issue for us, but to be able to get those scoring shots and have 30 of them is really promising.

"It's now about just finishing off their good work, which is what we discussed at the end of the game."

Full Time

GGGM 3.6 8.7 12.10 15.15 (105)

Wagga Tigers 3.0 6.0 7.3 7.5 (47)

GOALS: GGGM: J McCaig 3, T Banuelos 2, S Butterfield 2, T Sase 2, D Foley, M Hamblin, L Hatty, J Lander, J Sullivan, J Taylor; Wagga Tigers: C Pavitt 2, N Gorman, W Kirkup, S McNaughton, S Snelling

BEST: GGGM: K Mahon, T Banuelos, B Walsh, D Foley, S Martyn, J McCaig; Wagga Tigers: S McNaughton, N Gorman, W Kirkup, C Bance, C Wadley, M Stephenson