Hanwood secure Pascoe Cup minor premiership after win over Tumut

It was an evenly contested opening 20 minutes before Will Piva was able to find the back of the net for the opening goal after 22 minutes.

The task facing Eagles became more difficult when Daniel French was sent off after a studs-up tackle on Nick Kennedy just after the half-hour mark.

A period of dominance right before halftime saw Hanwood all but wrap up the game inside 45 minutes.

Piva scored his second goal after 42 minutes, and Chris Zappala then scored a double inside 60 seconds, saw Hanwood head into the break with a 4-0 lead.

Kennedy found the back of the net in the 69th minute, and then James Stockwell followed that up just two minutes later for a 6-0 lead.

Piva completed the route with another two goals inside 60 seconds just before the end of the game to bring his total for the game to four.

With regular coach Jason Bertacco away with family commitments, assistant coach Brian Bertolin took charge and maintained Hanwood's impressive unbeaten season.

"We got our goals in bursts, we'd go 20-25 minutes where it was going pretty even, and then we get a batch of goals in five-10 minutes," he said.

"It was one of those more difficult games at times."

While Piva was a standout with his four goals, Bertolin felt it was a strong performance across the front line.

"Will (Piva) played well. The front line worked really well," he said.

"Chris Zappala worked really hard, Jordan Bellato and Jordan De Marco in the second half. They all played really well. Will got a batch at the end, which will be good for his confidence."

RELATED

Facing a game where the Hanwood side was looking to avoid a potential banana skin, but Bertolin was happy with the way his side carried themselves.

"I think the fact that we just stuck at it," he said.

"It was one of those games which can be a bit of a no-win situation because you are expected to win, but I think the way that we played and tried to control the ball and pass it around and then to get the end product was probably the most pleasing thing."

While Lake Albert was able to come away with a 6-1 win over South Wagga, Hanwood entered the final two rounds with an unassailable lead of eight points.

Hanwood will start their final fortnight at home next weekend when they take on Leeton, who was able to pick up a 5-1 win over Cootamundra.

The Strikers will be the final round opposition for Hanwood before finals get underway.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: