It was ‘Hogan’s Heroes II’ as Billy Hogan repeated his seven-goal bag from the week prior, with Will Foster joining the cast with a handful-and-a-half of his own.
The Eagles turned the Tatura Park paddock into their personal playground on Saturday, producing a relentless 24.19 (163) to 4.3 (27) Goulburn Valley League obliteration of a beleaguered Bulldogs outfit.
Hogan and Foster were central to the thumping, as Mansfield iced its second consecutive statement win — and it’s needed, too.
The Eagles face one of the toughest runs home, with games against Seymour, Rochester, Kyabram and Shepparton in between dates with Shepparton United and Benalla.
But if Jack Hutchins’ side can replicate the past fortnight’s form against the league heavyweights, it needn’t worry.
Tatura, under a new regime after coach Paul Barnard stepped down after the round 12 defeat, had hoped to put up more resistance, but from the moment Mansfield kicked the first of the day, it looked like a team that hadn’t taken its boots off since the Mooroopna win.
Hutchins opened his account inside 30 seconds to show his side’s intent, though when Will Russell evened the odds five minutes later, there was hope for the hosts.
But by the time the scoreboard read 31-6 at quarter-time, the visitors already had one hand on percentage-boosting gold.
The second term saw the gap widen to 41 points at the half, with Foster already registering five majors to his name, while Hogan lurked closely with three.
However, the third quarter was the real decider.
A 10-goal scoring avalanche saw the Bulldogs held scoreless in a demonstration of the Eagles’ power, showing full-scale domination in defence and detonation up forward from Mansfield.
Hogan — who’s now making seven-goal hauls feel like clocking in for a shift — was at it again, linking up with the likes of Callum Brown and Brett Mahoney to create space inside 50 and finish with aplomb.
Tatura would’ve been wary of the man donning number 33 after checking the stats sheet from the week before.
But Foster? He was the plot twist.
Elusive, sharp and clinical, Foster produced his best display in the GVL after spending the past two seasons in the Ovens and King League, where he booted 91 goals in 29 games for Bonnie Doon.
Foster and Hogan were a two-headed monster Tatura couldn't tame, splitting the big sticks like nobody’s business as Mansfield piled on another five goals to the Bulldogs’ one in the final quarter to close out a 136-point victory.
Tatura, to its credit, didn’t quit.
Curtis Ryan and Michael Archer fought doggedly to stem the bleeding, but they were always up against it facing an Eagles side that has broken into the top four.
Tatura has the week off to go back to the drawing board, while Mansfield faces Shepparton United, hoping to lurch further up the ladder.
And with Hogan in Hollywood mode and Foster sharpening the edges, the Eagles are flying in frightening formation.
10°C