GNFL Round 13 action: Northampton redeem themselves against Rovers with Harry Taylor the difference

In the penultimate round of the Great Northern Football League home-and-away season, Northampton held on to second spot in the ladder with an important win. The Rams redeemed one of their two losses after taking down Rovers on Saturday 12.16 (88) to 7.8 (50). After falling to the Demons in round five, an inclusion of Harry Taylor — who was out of the side in the loss — was more than enough to get the Rams over the line at home. It only took Northampton around 20 seconds to get on the board with a goal. The Rams scored the game’s first two goals before Rovers’ captain Farren Parfitt responded with a major of his own. That would unfortunately be the extent of Parfitt’s effort in the game as he went down half-way through the first and did not return in the clash, in a massive blow to the Demons. After a quiet first quarter, Taylor started having an impact for Northampton as he got his first goal 40 seconds into the second term. Down by 19 points, the after-the-siren hero of last week’s match, Josh Simpson, scored a long goal for Rovers to try to get his team into the game. Taylor again made his presence felt, scoring the game’s next two goals to lengthen the Rams’ lead. Before the end of the first half it was a mark in front of goal from Corey Watts which gave the Demons another score. Rovers came out the gate in the second half with a bit more force, as a big grab from Dylan Curley gave them a chance to get on the board to start the half. However, a chip shot to the man in front of goal was batted down thanks to an athletic play by Northampton’s Braden Jupp, stopping any score from the Rovers. That play seemed to be the turning point as the Rams regained dominance in the game, to control the third quarter. To cap off his game with a fifth goal, Taylor bullied his defender inside the forward pocket, which all but sealed the win. The 38-point win puts Northampton in the second position, but they still need a win next week to solidify their top two spot. Conversely, the loss confirms that Rovers will finish their season fourth on the ladder. In a clash between teams out of the finals race at Chapman Valley, it was the Royals who bounced back from last week’s heartbreak loss to get the 11.11 (77) to 6.8 (44) win over Towns.