Blake Moorhouse (orange) received a yellow card for this tackle on Kaeo-Inter player Vander Dos Santos.
Four yellow cards marred the Northland premier football fixture between Metalcraft Roofing Tikipunga and Kaeo-Inter at Tikipunga Sports Park on Saturday.
Both teams were awarded two yellow cards each in what was a patchy but aggressive game, which included a number of late and dangerous challenges from both sides. Kaeo-Inter were the better side in the end, winning 3-1.
Tikipunga brought a physically-testing style of play to the game which Kaeo-Inter responded to, putting the game's emphasis less on skill and formation, but rather on who could achieve physical dominance on the park.
Kaeo-Inter's Nono Junang (white) holds the ball as Tikipunga's Luke March (orange) comes in from the left to take possession. Photo / Karen Maisey
However, it was Kaeo-Inter's skill which lifted them to their third consecutive win of the competition, finding the back of the net three times. The scoreline could have been much worse for the home side had the visitors scored from either of their two penalties or a number of one-on-ones.
Tikipunga defender Blake Moorhouse was the leader of the home side's style of play with some strong yet vital tackles at the back and some great runs through the midfield with the ball at his feet.
But it was Moorhouse's discipline which let him down after he lunged in for a tackle on Kaeo-Inter's Vander Dos Santos in the second half which rendered the visiting player unable to walk and spent the rest of the game on the sideline. Moorhouse was yellow-carded and then immediately subbed.
Tikipunga number 3 Mike Crowley (orange) goes in for a tackle against Steve Paul from Kaeo-Inter. Photo / Karen Maisey
"You could tell at that stage of the game, it was getting tight and tense so it was always going to happen, it was just unfortunate it was from our team," Tikipunga coach Rob Geaney said.
Player patience was clearly running thin as the second half went on and Geaney felt this was not helped by vocal supporters on the sideline.
"It rubs off on all the players, the game gets out of control because it just lifts everyone's testosterone levels and that's the one thing you want to avoid," he said.
"At the end of the day, all these guys are giving up their Saturday to play, let's just let them play and not worry about that stuff, it's not the World Cup."
Tikipunga's Blake Moorhouse (right) performs an acrobatic clearance as players scramble to get out of the way. Photo / Karen Maisey
Kaeo-Inter coach Stefano Virgili said the game showed his side needed to improve their finishing in front of goal but felt more should have been done about Tikipunga's physicality.
"I know you're not supposed to be negative towards the officials but I just thought with a team like this, the physicality of the game, the refereeing was not the best," Virgili said.
"The amount of players I saw get hit after they passed the ball, I know football is a contact sport, it's physical, but [Tikipunga] are playing the way they know how to play."
In the round's other games, Onerahi Duder Construction beat FC Whangarei 5-0 and Kerikeri Bay Builders drew 1-1 with Madhatters City Motors.
In other results, Northland FC's first team have been taught a lesson, losing 8-0 to Claudelands Rovers away from home on Saturday after losing to Onehunga Mangere on Thursday.
Coach Owen Liiv said his side needed to improve at both ends of the pitch before they took on Manurewa AFC on Saturday at Tikipunga Sports Park.
"We just need to find some goals and be a bit more savvy at the back and we'll be fine."
