Division 1 – Round 7 Wrap-Up
With Good Will Hunter
Last Saturday was a perfect exhibition of Southern League footy, with three matches going right down to the wire on a perfect autumn afternoon.
The two Demons sides locked horns at Beazley Reserve, but it was the boys from Bentleigh that claimed the spoils with a come-from-behind four-point win. The Heighters were gallant, and booted the first five goals of the game to give themselves a chance to claim their first win of the year. But it wasn’t to be as Bentleigh clawed their way back into the contest in the second half on the back of the efforts of Mark Smith and Jackson Meredith. Bryce Atherton was Chelsea Heights’ best.
Cheltenham pulled off the upset of the round, edging out the heavily-favoured East Malvern by the barest of margins at Jack Barker Oval. The scores were tied midway through the titanic final term, and when Andrew Dewar goaled in the shadows of time on the margin was seven points and the Rosellas looked to have done enough. A late major to the Panthers brought the margin back to one point as Chelt held on for a memorable victory. Daniel Vaughan continued his good form and Chris Graham was also outstanding for the home side while Will Sadler was East Malvern’s best.
Over at Peanut Farm, St Kilda City put in their best performance for the year but couldn’t quite seal the deal against a fast-finishing East Brighton outfit. The Saints were inspired by solid efforts from Ryan Hoy and Jack Hammond and led by 13 points at the final change. But the Vampires then clicked into gear, booting four goals to steal a three-point victory and avoid what would have been the boilover of the season. East Brighton was bolstered by the long-awaited return of star midfielder Damien Rayson, but it was Toby Mahoney that stole the show with three majors.
St Pauls’ season is perilously close to slipping into mediocrity after Dingley walloped them by a massive 84 points. It was simply one-way traffic as the Dingoes dominated in all facets of the game, despite the tireless work of Doggies’ midfielder Jarryd Allan. Dingley spearhead Dean Francis lead all comers in attack with a five-goal haul, but it was Stu Cleeve that claimed best afield honours with a dominant display around the ground.
The final game saw Mordialloc dish out a 45-point thumping to Clayton. The Bloods were clearly the better side in the first half before Matt Wilson inspired the Clays’ gallant fight back in the third term that brought the margin back to within a kick at the final change. But the home side romped home in the last quarter booting seven unanswered goals to run away with the match. Simon Fragiacomo was industrious for the winners while James Morris booted a bag of five.
Division 2 – Round 7 Wrap-Up
With Jason Barbin
Keysborough received a little bit of a reality check in its round seven match, but stayed undefeated.
Keysborough remained undefeated after a strong win against Highett at Keysborough Reserve. Highett had the better of the borough for a chunk of the first half and only trailed by six points at half time. But Keysborough showed its class in the third quarter, kicking six goals to three behinds to put the game out of reach for the Dogs, despite a five goal last quarter. Jake Dunn was among the best with four goals for Keysie.
Caulfield bounced back into the top five with a commanding win over Springvale Districts. Springy put up a fight in the first half and an upset looked like a possibility when they only trailed by 15 points at the main break. But the Bears dominated in the second half, kicking 11 goals to three, to run away with the 65 point victory. Of Caulfield’s 12 goal kickers, Jason Twirdy was the best with four goals. -
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In one of the more anticipated games of the round, Oakleigh Districts continued its good form with a 15 point win against Murrumbeena. The final margin doesn’t reflect how the game was played, as Oakleigh’s offensive firepower proved a little too much for Murrumbeena in the first three quarters. The Beena had a slight sniff with a six goal to one last quarter, but the game was already won and Oakleigh cemented second spot on the ladder. Justin Hill and David Celardo combined to kick eight goals for the Districts.
Skye got a tough win on the road, when it defeated Hampton by goal at Peterson Street Reserve. The Bombers trailed for most of the game, as inaccurate kicking nearly cost them the game against a Hampton side that was getting quality contributions from its forwards. But some inspiring footy from coach Ben Walker helped the Bombers power on in the final quarter and walk away with the win, kicking three goals for the game.
Doveton Eagles registered its first win of the season, defeating Heatherton by 15 points at Power Reserve. After the departure of co-coach Robbie Kreskas during the week, the Eagles found themselves under the pump in the first half, trailing at half time. But an inspired effort, led by now sole coach Daniel Macklin helped bridge the gap as the Eagles fought hard for the victory. Corrie Wilson kicked four goals for the winners.
Division 3 – Round 7 Wrap-Up
With Andrew Paloczi
Ashwood charged out of the blocks with four goals to two in the first term, going to the huddle with a 13-point advantage over the home team, Moorabbin. The Kangaroos had cut their deficit to just three points at half time. Surprisingly, the Magpies took complete control of the match, stretching the lead to 28 points at three quarter time, and winning by 31. Paul Wineberg and Jake Chapman featured with three goals each for Ashwood.
Hallam travelled to the Southern Dragons’ home full of confidence after a win, but the Hawks only held a slender 4-point lead at the long break. This increased to 20 points at the final change. The Southern Dragons continued with the improvement they showed last week, holding the Hawks to a solitary behind in the final stanza. Hallam did enough to hang on by 7 points, with Rohan Suttie selected as its best player.
Playing at home, South Yarra took it right up to Mt Waverley during the first half, and when the second term ended, the Lions had managed double the number of scoring shots achieved by their opponents. However, South Yarra was highly inaccurate, and found itself a few points down. In the third term, the Mountain Lions took advantage, blowing the lead out to 39 points. The final siren signalled a 31-point win for Mount Waverley. Michael Kinsella booted four goals for the victors.
Black Rock has turned MacDonald Reserve into an inhospitable destination for visiting teams this season, and so it proved for Endeavour Hills. Tom Dewar was a commanding best on ground booting 10 goals, and Tom Dalton put through four of his own, as the Jets soared to a 96-point triumph.
Sandown powered away from Dandenong at Greaves Reserve, blasting through 10 second half goals to three. The Cobras got home by a comfortable 44 points, after leading by a behind at the long break. Matthew Davis was the winner’s best and kicked a couple of goals.
With nine goals from best on ground Trevor March, and six more from Justin Olaman, Carrum Patterson Lakes was in charge all day against Lyndale. Despite being the away team, the Lions crushed the Pumas by 56 points.
