The Coota Blues have made it three from three in 2026, recording a hard-fought 22-point win over Woden at Solar Park, Canberra on Saturday.
The Blues started strongly with early long-range goals to Joel Pearson and Ben Rose, taking a narrow 2-point lead into quarter time. The second term was a tight contest before the Blues found another gear, piling on four unanswered goals to head into the main break with a 27-point advantage.
Woden responded in the third, dominating play and cutting the margin to just 7 points at the final change. Their pressure was immense, and momentum was firmly on their side heading into the last.
Both defences stood tall in a tense final term. After a scoring drought, Joel Pearson broke the deadlock with a long bomb midway through the quarter. From there, the Blues steadied—Pearson leading the charge, setting up Jordan McMasters’ first goal for the club and a late sealer from Jay Pennay.
Woden finished with 6 straight behinds in the final term and will rue missed opportunities in front of goal.
Best on ground honours went to James Warwick for a standout four-quarter performance, well supported by Tristan Beaumont-Gillett, who worked tirelessly all day. Pearson was a dominant presence up forward when it counted.
Strong contributions also came from Ben Rose, Shaun Regan, Flynn Sierant, James Ross, and Dan Conway. In the ruck, Luke Baumhammer and Jake Rodwell battled hard all day and played a crucial role in the final quarter surge.
Goals:
Joel Pearson, James Warwick, Tristan Beaumont-Gillett, Ben Rose 2 each
Jordan McMasters, James Ross, Dan Conway, Jay Pennay 1 each
Next up, the Blues return home to face the Googong Hogs in what promises to be another tough contest, followed by a big clash against competition favourites Murrumbateman the following week.
President, Rod Knagge said, “We have a game against Googong then a massive game with Murrumbateman at home. People are saying it will be a clash between two of the top three teams. We’re looking forward to that.”
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