East Brighton 8.8-56 defeated Parkmore / Springvale 4.7-31
East Brighton continued their underdog chase toward a Grand Final appearance, cutting Parkmore / Springvale’s season short win a 25-point victory.
Little divided the sides at the first break, with Parkmore / Springvale holding the upper hand with a narrow one-point lead.
A seesaw series of events followed after the first term, with East Brighton jumping to an 11-point lead at half time, but Parkmore / Springvale retaliating with a 2.1 to 1.2 effort in the third term.
Leading by six points heading into the final quarter, East Brighton put their foot down, leaving a previously competitive Parkmore / Springvale far in the distance.
Led by Vampire Spencer Martinez, East Brighton proceeded to pile on 4.3 to a stunned Parkmore / Springvale’s 1.2, finishing up in jubilance and securing a Semi Final dance with Oakleigh this week.
Despite a starring effort from Steven Abouri, six separate goal kickers from East Brighton was the nail in the coffin for Parkmore / Springvale, including two goals from both Nathan Foster and Blake Cochrane.
ELIMINATION FINAL
St Kilda City 9.15-69 defeated Oakleigh District 2.8-20
2017 premiers Oakleigh District were no match for a relentless St Kilda City, going down by 49 points in a shock first round of finals.
Last time the pair met at finals, Oakleigh District ran away with the premiership cup. However, on Saturday, City were out for redemption, taking their first step toward a Grand Final ticket in convincing style.
A formidable City defence kept their opponents scoreless at the first break, and with their best Jordan Grollo in solid form, the Saints failed to look back.
A classy City had a stunned Oakleigh trail increasingly at each break, with Aaron Tenenbaum (three goals) and Matthew McNaughton (two goals) rubbing salt in the wounds for their opponents.
It was not until the last term when Oakleigh managed to slot their first goal (2.1) but this was just to be matched and more by a daring City (4.1), who look fierce heading into their match against top placers Dingley.
Luckily for Oakleigh, a second chance at continuing their finals run lies in their match this week against an underdog East Brighton outfit.
