Division 1 Round Review

By Will Hunter


Twitter@Will_Hunter89

 


Listen back to this week’s The 5th Quarter podcast, featuring Chelsea Heights star Callum Dodson and SFNL Interleague skipper Danny Ades as the special guests, in the player above.

 

ROUND 6 REVIEW

Bentleigh 8.4 (52) def by East Malvern 9.12 (66)

A strong final term saw the Panthers overrun the Demons to record a 14-point victory at Bentleigh Reserve in the Southern FM Match of the Day.

The match was a tough, scrappy contest between two evenly matched sides for much of the day and neither side was allowed to seize control and get the game played on their terms. As a result, there were stoppages galore and plenty of defensive pressure.

A low-scoring first half saw each side register just three majors, but the Demons lifted in the premiership quarter, booting four goals to reclaim the lead and take an eight-point advantage heading into the last.

It was East Malvern’s turn to find another level in the final quarter, and with experienced veteran Steve Brewer leading from the front, the visitors piled on four goals to erase the deficit and maintain their position in the top three.

Although conspicuous all afternoon, Brewer’s final-term heroics saw him get the nod as the Blackchrome Player of the Day. Chris Carey, BOG in last week’s Interleague clash with North Central, was again influential in the ruck, while fellow Interleague representatives Luke Duffy and Lucas Hall (three goals) also stood out.

Michael Rogers and Tom Massey were Bentleigh’s best.

 

Cheltenham 8.13 (61) def Oakleigh District 8.7 (55)

The Rosellas are on the winner’s list for the second time in 2018 following their come-from-behind victory over Oakleigh District at Jack Barker Oval.

After conceding the opening goal, the District then got the jump on the sluggish Cheltenham, banging home the next six to lead by as much as 29 points late in the second term.

However, the second half belonged to the home side as they clicked into gear and gained the ascendancy through the midfield, which saw them hit the scoreboard with more regularity. The Rosellas finally regained the lead late in the last quarter and ran out winners by six points, a margin that should have been greater had it not been for their inaccuracy in front of goal.

Josh Fox was a focal point for the winners with three goals, including the only two majors of the final quarter, while Sean McLaren, Daniel Vaughan and Kyle Parsons were among the key contributors.

Ruckman Saf Balic and the dynamic Jake Mullen (four goals) led the way for the Oaks.

 

St Pauls 8.11 (59) def by Mordialloc 13.9 (87)

The slick Bloods have secured top spot on the Division 1 ladder after knocking over St Pauls by 28 points in an entertaining clash at the Kennel.

The visitors led from go to woah, with St Pauls again hampered by a slow start to the match. But the Dogs rallied after the first change and worked their way back into the contest with four second-term goals to sit eight points adrift of Mordi at the long break.

The Bloods were able to open the game up and wrest back control of the contest with their spread and clean ball use in the second half before putting the finishing touches on an impressive performance with five goals in the last quarter.

Alisdair Jackson and Justin Summons were the standouts for the winners, with James Morris and Steve Tolongs getting the job done up forward, combining for nine of the Bloods’ 13 goals.

Lachie Butler, Matt Kreymborg and Matt Herbstreit fought hard for the Dogs.

 

Dingley 10.11 (71) def by St Kilda City 12.6 (78)

The Dingoes have suffered their second straight home defeat, beaten by St Kilda City in a seven-point nail-biter.

The loss sees the three-time reigning premier drop outside the top five with just three wins from its six matches.

Facing a 12-point deficit at quarter time, the Saints booted five goals in the second term to all but restore parity at the half, before gaining the ascendancy after oranges.

The undermanned Dingoes fought hard in a tense final term but couldn’t quite bridge the gap as City kept their nose in front in a tight finish.

Perry O’Hehir-Vargas returned to the Saints line up after his VFL debut with Frankston last week and had an immediate impact, while Nick Perry put in a best-on-ground performance in the ruck. Cam Hansen, Xavier Jordan and Jesse Firebrace (three goals) were also instrumental in the result.

The Dingoes were well served by Interleague stars Lucas Walmsley and Danny Ades, with Rob Rusan’s four goals also helping keep the Dingoes in it.

 

Chelsea Heights 8.11 (59) def Port Melbourne Colts 8.8 (56)

Chelsea Heights saluted on Cal Dodson’s big day, edging out Port Colts by three points in a thrilling Kick it for Cancer clash at Beazley Reserve on Sunday.

However, the win may come at a cost to the Heighters with several injuries sustained to key players including Lachie Dobson (shoulder) and Dylan Sloan (knee) during the highly physical contest. Declan Lee was also helped from the field with concussion before half time, which left the home side desperately light on for rotations late in the game.

Chelsea Heights made a bright start to the contest with three goals in the opening 10 minutes, but the visitors returned serve with two of their own to get back within a kick at the first change. From then on there was little between them on the scoreboard as the two sides traded goals for much of the day.

A scuffle on centre wing resulted in a pair of 50m penalties and the simplest of goals to Demon Nathan Herrington in the final quarter, which saw the margin extended to eight points as the clocked ticked into time on.

Colt Jamie Cook slotted his second goal from a clutch set shot minutes later to get his side back within two points, but with their backs to the wall the Heighters dug deep and held out the visitors in the frantic final few minutes, securing the gutsiest of wins.

Heighters ruckman Luke Behin received plenty of praise from coach Brad Canavan for his efforts both in the air and around the ground, while Lachy Dobson was a pillar of strength before his injury, clunking plenty of strong contested marks. Ryan Archer and Brendon Head were also among the best for the winners.

For the Colts, Jackson Powell had plenty of the footy in a consistent four-quarter effort, while Lew Mildenhall and Jamie Cook got better as the game went on and were particularly prominent in the final term.

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