A Young Gun Leads the St Kilda City Charge
Division 1 – Optimus Concussion Awareness Round 10 Wrap-Up
With Good Will Hunter
St Kilda City produced the upset of the round at Jack Barker Oval, knocking off finals-aspirant Cheltenham by 21 points. The Rosellas fought their way back from an early deficit with a stunning six-goal second term, but it was all City after the long break as they streaked clear for a memorable win. Xavier Pauli enjoyed a dream senior debut for the Saints, booting five goals in a best afield display (after earlier bagging eight in the under 19’s), while evergreen ruckman Steve Arvanitis wound back the clock with a vintage performance. Pat Nicholls’s purple patch continued, again named among the Rosellas’ best.
Dingley consolidated its spot on top of the ladder with a scintillating 31-point win over East Brighton at the Den. The Vampires were left to rue missed opportunities in front of goal in the first half, registering a wasteful 3.10, but they fought back to get within two points at the final change. However, with Marcus Freeman and Luke Bartholomew running rampant, the home side slammed on seven goals in the final term to run away with the game. Andrew Clements was East Brighton’s best.
St Pauls meanwhile stormed to a comprehensive 44-point victory over East Malvern at the Kennel. The Dogs gained the ascendancy in the second term with five unanswered goals, but just as the Panthers looked to work their way back into the contest in the second half, the home side booted five more in the final stanza to finish them off. Liam Wilson had the ball on a string most of the day, while Travis Ridgeway (five goals) was again prolific in front of the sticks for the winners. Matt Terech battled valiantly in the ruck all day for East Malvern.
Over at Bentleigh Reserve, Clayton took the honours in a dog fight with the Demons to keep their September hopes alive. The Clays had their noses in front for most of the afternoon in what was a hard-fought and low-scoring contest, but little separated the two sides all day. Four goals from Stuart Scanlon and Jordan Collins’ drive off halfback helped the visitors hold on for a six-point triumph, while Matt Troutbeck starred with three majors for Bentleigh.
The Sunday game was another massive blowout, with Mordialloc smashing Chelsea Heights by 97 points at Beazley Reserve. With Lachie Dobson and Jarryd Uren leading the way the Heighters were competitive until quarter time, but from there it was one-way traffic and an 11-goal final term was the icing on the cake for the Bloods. Second-gamer Kaleb Tymko was absolutely everywhere for the winners, while James Morris and Matt Ravenall combined for nine majors.
Division 2 – Optimus Concussion Awareness Round 10 Wrap-Up
With Jason Barbin
Round 10 brought us perhaps the most upsets this season and several teams still find themselves in the hunt for finals.
Skye have downed Oakleigh Districts by 23 points essentially kicking them off top spot in a big win for the Bombers. An undermanned Skye team trailed by eight points at half time but kicked seven goals in the third quarter to take a 12 point lead going into the final quarter and were able to restrict Oakleigh to just three behinds. Ben Evans was the standout player for the day kicking seven goals for the Bombers.
Keysborough have surged back to the top of the ladder after a stunning 93 point win over Doveton Eagles. The Borough never looked in trouble as they jumped out of the blocks to kick eight first half goals and take a 44 point lead into the second half. They improved in the second half to outscore the Eagles 10 goals to three for their 9th win of the season. Tyson King was back to his best with nine goals.
Heatherton have caused the upset of the round defeating Caulfield away from home by three points. The Tonners led at every change and were able to hold off the Bears who simply had no answers for Heatherton’s intensity at the ball. Caulfield pushed them the whole way but Heatherton held strong for a much deserved second win of the season. Stewart Gibbs was named best on ground while Trevor Kumetaitis bagged six goals.
Murrumbeena have shown they are a team to be reckoned with after a commanding 49 point win over Hampton at Peterson Street Reserve. Though the Benna trailed at quarter time, they restricted the Hammers to just one behind in the second quarter while they kicked four goals to build a 22 point lead. A nine goal to four second half shows just how far the team has come defensively as the season has progressed. Cory Hargrave was best on ground while Anthony Ekberg-Weiss kicked three goals.
Springvale Districts have caused another upset with a 22 point win over Highett at Springvale Reserve. The Districts were simply too good for the Dogs throughout the game and rode a seven goal second half performance to their third win of the season. The Districts had winners all over the ground and the win keeps them in the hunt for finals. Lachlan Morrey was best on ground with six goals
Division 3 – Optimus Concussion Awareness Round 10 Wrap-Up
With Andrew Paloczi
Strong tackling and hard running took Moorabbin to a commanding 49-point lead over top-placed Black Rock during the third quarter at Widdop Crescent. Daniel Kick responded after a quiet first half, giving the Jets hope with a couple of quick goals, but when Matthew Johansson answered with his sixth major of the day, the Kangaroos were in complete control.
However, the Jets refused to concede defeat and stormed back into the match with three goals late in the third term, going to the final break trailing by just 23 points. Black Rock continued to apply extreme pressure early in the last quarter, with a Daniel Kick goal cutting the Kangaroos’ lead to 17 points at the seven-minute mark. Trent Davey and Johansson then threatened to snuff out the Black Rock comeback, each booting a crucial major to restore Moorabbin’s lead to 29 points ten minutes in. But the Jets again refused to lie down, with three quick goals cutting the margin to just 11 points with plenty of time remaining.
Black Rock continued to lay siege and Johansson showed his versatility, adding to his seven goals with wonderful marking in the backline when the pressure was at its most intense. He was a clear best on ground in a thrilling seven-point Kangaroos’ win. Davey finished with five goals for them.
There was little between Endeavour Hills and Mount Waverley on the scoreboard at each of the breaks. The Falcons gave the home fans encouragement, leading by seven points with a quarter to play. This set the stage for a gripping finish, but it didn’t pan out that way as the Mountain Lions were held to only two behinds in the last stanza. The Falcons added 3.5 and won by 28 points. Mitch Whatman finished with three majors and Ben Graham was named their best player.
Visiting team Hallam managed just seven behinds in the first half against Sandown, setting up a 35-point lead to the Cobras at that stage. As is typical for the Hawks, they refused to throw in the towel and Sandown’s winning margin was just 20 points. Steven Ritchie was judged the winner’s best player.
Ashwood put in a powerful display at home, obliterating Dandenong by 97 points. As usual, Frank Martinicchio was prominent for the Magpies, booting six goals in a best on ground display. Chris Meyers and Mitch Saunders chipped in with three goals each for the winner. Ashwood’s form adds to the unpredictability of the rest of the season. It is one of a number of teams still in contention to claim the prize in September.
After an upset away win over Moorabbin, Lyndale must have returned to its own ground confident of another strong performance against South Yarra. Instead, the inconsistent Pumas were subjected to a tough lesson, being thrashed by the startling margin of 108 points by a rampaging South Yarra. Scores were locked at quarter time, but such was the Lions’ dominance for the rest of the day, they added a further 20 goals to a mere three. Cory Brady was best for the winner and booted four majors.
Carrum Patterson Lakes was left without an opponent with the Southern Dragons departing the competition.
