Sunday saw Chidlow travel down the hill and defeat Swan View 13.11 (89) to 5.10 (40) in round 11 of the Hills Football Association competition.
A near full strength Cougars line up provided plenty of challenge for the Swans, as fly in fly out employment continues to have a big impact within the sporting community.

One week a club can be at full strength, the next their list can be depleted by as many as five members. Michael McKinlay’s form continues to gain momentum for Chidlow as he gets more games in.

Cougars Steven Schorer combined with Tom Self to clear the ball forward from the centre ball up, where Matt Mallaby and Luke Elliott kicked early goals. As the Chidlow Cougars jumped out to a 28-point lead, they continued to control the tempo in the second.

Blake Offer showed that he could play a big part in the clubs’ future with some deft delivery to his teammates. Adam McKinlay ran hard to get to every ruck contest, then get back to support Reece Forbes and Alex Radonic in their backline.

Swans Harlee Fryer and Joseph Butler shared the task of trying to keep Cougars Shane Fitzgerald and Craig Duff quiet. The Swans showed much more intensity after the half time break, managing to outscore Chidlow. Raniera Carpenter combined with Josh Hollingum to pick up several possessions.
Jackson Ryan became a focal point up forward when not working in the ruck.

Kane Higgins joined in the goal scoring after being on the end of a lace out pass. Cougar Jake Forman spent some time on the bench after a heavy knock had him retching.
Swan View continued to pressure Chidlow deep into the last quarter until Cougar Steven Schorer marked strongly to finish out the game with two goals in five minutes. The Swans certainly showed enough to indicate that they could offer a challenge to the other clubs come finals.

This weekend the HFA has a general bye. A combined team will be taking part in the Nutrien AG country carnival. Details can be found on Facebook.