Division 4 Round Review

By Lincoln Edmunds


Twitter@LincolnEdmunds


Listen back to this week's The 5th Quarter podcast, featuring East Brighton's Greg Young as the special guest, in the player above.

 

ROUND 4 REVIEW

Lyndale 11.8 (74) def by Cerberus 11.9 (75)

Cerberus have registered their first win of the season in an absolute heart stopper against Lyndale at Barry Powell Reserve. This was a cracking contest right from the first bounce, with both teams locked in a fierce battle that went right down to the wire. Neither side could be separated from each other all game, with the margin never exceeding six points during the first three breaks.

Holding a one goal lead on their home turf at the final change, the Pumas were going to be tough to beat but the Dogs would not rollover quietly. What transpired in the final term was arguably the most intense and nail-biting action seen from the season thus far. Both sides put their bodies on the line and attacked the footy hard, with every possession earnt.

Cerberus threw everything at the home side and were rewarded with the crucial and only goal of the final term. Combined with their desperate defence, in which they only conceded two points, the Dogs came up victorious by the smallest possible margin come the final siren.

It was a great display of resilience and determination by the Dogs, who had found themselves just behind for most of the game before they finally hit the front when it mattered most. All 22 players contributed in a solid team effort with Adam Quinn and Michael Shawrz the best for the visitors. The Dogs also found a good spread up forward with Dimitri Garoufalis, Joshua Mondano and James Demby the multiple goal scorers with two each.

For Lyndale, the devastating loss will be a bitter pill to swallow considering they were unable to hold onto their slim lead. The defeat leaves the Pumas at 2-2 but there are still some positives to take from the game. Trevor Kumetaitis continued his strong form with another bag of five goals and Alex Kerr has been solid the past two weeks.

 

Sandown 10.6 (66) def Dandenong 9.6 (60)

Keeping in the spirt of thrilling games, Sandown have also recorded their first victory of the year overcoming Dandenong by a solitary goal at Edinburgh Reserve. In a tight tussle between two evenly matched teams, the Cobras and Redlegs could barely be separated at the final change with the visitors leading by a point with a huge last quarter to follow.

Dandenong had done well to snatch the lead, having trailed at quarter time with some inaccurate kicking costing them dearly. An improved second term saw them cut the margin to five points as the match started to heat up. The third quarter was highly entertaining as the game opened up somewhat with nine goals scored between the teams, the Redlegs taking the lead and seemingly the momentum with them.

However Sandown found another gear in the final term and in a quarter were goals were like gold, the Cobras were able to unearth two of them and run out six point winners. The hard-fought victory gives Sandown their first four points of the season and lifts them from the bottom of the table. Shane Cosstick was the best player on the ground with five majors while Nathan Isles was also prominent for the home side.

Dandenong are now the only winless side of the competition and will be devastated to let this one slip from their grasp. Jayke Hopkins was sensational, as he has been all year for the Redlegs while David Barrie continues to add to his goal tally. Although the wins aren’t there just yet, Dandenong are not too far away from cracking open a game and getting a win on the board.

 

Frankston Dolphins 12.8 (80) def by Carrum Patterson Lakes 12.11 (83)

The match of the round certainly lived up to its title, with Carrum Patterson Lakes’ undefeated streak continuing in an unbelievable game of football against Frankston at Overport Park. Many predicted a tight and cracking contest heading into this game and those predictions were justified early on in the piece. The Dolphins had just come off a tight loss the week before and came out fired up on their home deck.

An entertaining first half saw both teams trade goal for goal as the margin remained under a kick at both breaks in favour of the home side. However in the premiership quarter, CPL stepped it up another notch and started to take control of the contest, booting six majors to the home side’s three. Trailing by 16 points with one quarter of footy left, the Dolphins responded as the match came down to a thrilling climax.

Luke Kirkland was central to the Dolphins fight back, soaring for huge marks and kicking crucial majors in the last term. Frankston gave everything they had left in the tank but the Lions were able to absorb their momentum for long enough to hang on for a three-point victory.

The win validates claims of CPL being the team to beat thus far, but the Dolphins will have lost few admirers for the way they went about it. The Lions will be building some genuine belief and confidence in their system as they continue to play a strong and successful brand of football. Rhys Graham was the best for the visitors with four goals but one player on the ground stood out above all.

As mentioned before Luke Kirkland was sensational for Frankston and almost dragged his side over the line with an eight-goal haul. The big bag ensures that Kirkland now leads the goal kicking in the competition with 18 majors from four games. His presence up front will provide his teammates with plenty of confidence when going forward for the rest of the season. Although they have endured back to back losses, the Dolphins should not be too concerned considering they have fallen just short to two of the better sides in the competition.
Listen back to the 88.3 Southern FM call of this game in the player below.



 

Moorabbin 9.2 (56) def by Lyndhurst 15.15 (105)

Lyndhurst have completed a commanding away win against Moorabbin, putting in a scintillating display of football in the second half at Widdop Crescent Reserve. In a low scoring and evenly contested first half, it was the home side who went into the main break with a one point advantage. With only five majors scored between the two sides until this point it seemed as if the game was destined for a low scoring battle of attrition.

However from then on the Lightning sparked into action and in a great display of power, stacked on 13 goals after half time to run away with a 49 point victory. The Kangaroos had no answers as Lyndhurst’s forward line got to work and showed why they are so dangerous as a unit. The Lightning finished with a vast contribution forward of centre with six players hitting the scoreboard more than once. Hugh Cullen-Scholes and Anthony Besim were among the best and generated plenty of supply for their fellow forwards.

The second half fade out means the Kangaroos now have their first loss for the season. Their knack of dropping off alarmingly is not a new issue either, having endured a scare against Dandenong in the final two quarters a few weeks back. Eliminating these costly lapses will no doubt be the focus on the training track this week. Steven Nussbaum and Shaun Jackson were the best players in a dirty day for the home side.

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