HFNL round four stats: Star Seagull a weapon for improving outfit

Port Fairy gun Kaine Mercovich shone with a best-afield performance for the Seagulls in their round four win against Cobden.

The Seagulls enter the league-wide bye with a 2-2 record and log jammed on eight points with five other teams.

The ex-SANFL player, who spent a season with North Adelaide in 2021 before returning to his home club in 2022, was at his dynamic best, racking up 38 disposals, 15 marks, eight clearances, 10 inside 50s and three goals.

Making his performance all the more impressive was the fact he led the Seagulls for contested possessions (16) and uncontested possessions (22).

"He was great on the weekend, had a massive impact. He spent a bit of time in the midfield and pushing forward to kick three goals in a low-scoring game is pretty crucial," Seagulls mentor Dustin McCorkell told The Standard.

"Hitting the scoreboard on the day certainly made him have a big impact on the game."

The Seagulls coach said Mercovich's ability to use his frame to impact at the contest and burst away to provide an attacking threat made him a "hard player to match-up on".

"It's his willingness to play the roles given to him and he can be dangerous both at the stoppage and working away from the stoppage," he said.

"He's a pretty hard player to match-up on. He's a pretty strong young lad and he's got the explosive speed to go with it which is exciting.

"He's always been that kind of player who is good in the contest and away from it. On the weekend he did a lot of inside work but got a lot of it on the outside as well. He's a quality footballer and he's leading really well."

McCorkell said his star player - who was best afield in the 2019 Hampden league interleague win - was having an impact on the next generation of players coming through the club," he said.

"Over the pre-season he took four or five of the younger guys under his wing and improved their game as well, so he's been outstanding for this footy club, " he said.

Other standout performances across the remaining round four matches on Saturday in the Hampden league included Warrnambool's Jordan Walters (32 disposals, nine clearances, eight rebounds, six inside 50s) and Ben Cunnington (19 disposals, five goals, four score assists) against Camperdown and North Warrnambool's Jett Bermingham (37 disposals, 14 clearances) against Terang Mortlake.

The Hampden league season will resume on Saturday, May 11.