![Dennington's Tom Noonan Jr is setting the Dogs alight in front of goals. Picture by Anthony Brady Dennington's Tom Noonan Jr is setting the Dogs alight in front of goals. Picture by Anthony Brady](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/justine.mc%40fairfaxmedia.com.au/78f56e58-159a-469f-ae41-a51293b3c788.jpg/r0_346_4722_3349_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A half-forward who worked diligently in pre-season is giving a Warrnambool and District league side a path to goal in 2024.
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Tom Noonan Jr kicked five goals in Dennington's 13.13 (91) to 6.11 (47) win against Kolora-Noorat on Saturday, May 18, bringing his season tally to 35 from seven matches.
Noonan is second on the league's goal-kicking table behind Allansford's Robbie Hare who has 44 majors from six appearances.
Nirranda's Jackson Couch (24 from six matches) is third.
Dennington coach Leigh Anderson said Noonan deserved the rewards he was getting in the Dogs' attacking half.
"He had to work really hard for it yesterday, the kid who played on him played a really good game so it wasn't all one way but to his credit, he fought it out and ended up with five," he said.
"He's put a lot of work in over summer with his fitness and he's worked a helluva a lot on his goal-kicking. I think he got 5.1 yesterday and he kicked seven straight the week before."
Anderson credited the Dogs' midfielders and the back line, ably led by Brandon Bolton, for helping turn momentum throughout the match.
"We kicked four goals to nothing in the first quarter and then they came back really hard in the second quarter," he said.
![Kolora-Noorat co-coach Louis Cahill was the Power's best against Dennington. Picture by Justine McCullagh-Beasy Kolora-Noorat co-coach Louis Cahill was the Power's best against Dennington. Picture by Justine McCullagh-Beasy](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/justine.mc%40fairfaxmedia.com.au/7075ef3b-4187-4992-b95c-06ac1eaa11dd.JPG/r0_0_6960_4640_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"Louis Cahill and Nick Marshall got a lot of the footy (for Kolora-Noorat) and it became a real contest but the third quarter our onballers, our leaders - Tom Fitzgerald, Bronte Baker, Ash Keen and Jordy Garner - really got on top in the middle and that really turned the game for us."
Dennington sits sixth on the ladder with a 3-4 win-loss record.
"We didn't set any expectations at the start of the year. We just wanted to bridge the gap on where the margins were (last year)," Anderson said.
"We are pretty happy. We'd have obviously liked to have won the last two (against Panmure and Timboon Demons), that would've put us right up there but that's footy."
Anderson said Nick Alexandrou (back) was likely to be sidelined in round seven while Jake Hamilton would be unavailable.
But Euroa's Silver Yousif will play a game on permit for the Dogs.