By Lincoln Edmunds
@LincolnEdmunds
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 7 REVIEW
Sandown 7.14 (56) def by Moorabbin Kangaroos 19.11 (125)
Moorabbin have snapped their winless streak in empathic fashion, spanking the Cobras by 69 points at Edinburgh Reserve. The Kangaroos were desperate to make a statement but the Cobras had come to play in an entertaining first term. Both sides were able to hit the scoreboard as the Roos took a slim 10 point lead at the first change.
The Cobras continued to fight in the second term but the Roos started to slowly pull away from the home side. There were plenty of goals in the first half as Moorabbin looked to be back to their best attacking brand of footy. The Roos put the game to bed in the third term as they stacked on five goals whilst holding the Cobras goalless.
The goals kept coming in the final term as Moorabbin kicked five majors in a quarter for the third time in the match to produce a polished performance. The win bumps the Kangaroos back into the top four and also provides a much needed spike in their mediocre percentage which currently sits at 84.92.
Dylan Bone once again found the big sticks with a haul of five goals, taking his tally to 26 for the season. Lee Natsioulas was also just as good with a bag of five himself. Benjamin Lindsey and Shaun Jackson were also among the better players for the away side.
Lyndhurst 11.6 (72) def Cerberus 3.7 (25)
Marriott Waters Reserve continues to be a fortress for Lyndhurst as their unbeaten record on home soil remains intact following their comfortable 47 point win over Cerberus. The Dogs entered the game inside the top four with a great opportunity to justify their credentials as side capable of playing finals. But they looked anything but as the Lightning set the tone early.
The first half gave Cerberus a severe reality check as Lyndhurst smacked them around the contest to boot nine goals to one in a dominant display. With the game as good as gone at the main change the Dogs were forced to do some soul searching and look to be more competitive in the remaining two quarters. But once again the Lightning’s defensive stranglehold proved too impenetrable for the visitors, as Lyndhurst slotted another two majors to the Dogs’ four behinds.
The last quarter was mainly junk time with the twenty odd minutes dragging out the inevitable. To their credit Cerberus were able to hold the Lightning goalless and kick two of their own to reduce the damage on the scoreboard. Whilst in the context of the game this was largely irrelevant, avoiding a bigger blowout here could prove extremely important for the rest of the season as their percentage is only marginally better than Moorabbin’s.
Jesse Walia was influential for the home side along with David Ford who hit the scoreboard whilst finding plenty of the pill. Hamish Browning once again continued his good form up forward to finish with four goals. The consistent forward now has 12 majors in the past three weeks and has kicked at least one goal every game.
Frankston Dolphins 14.12 (96) def Lyndale 14.9 (93)
Frankston have held on for a thrilling three point victory over a gallant Lyndale in an absolute cracker of a game at Overport Park. The home side went in as warm favourites over the up and down Pumas and looked to have the game under control at the quarter time break.
Only poor accuracy in front of goal prevented the Dolphins taking a bigger lead than their 16 point buffer. The Pumas wouldn’t go away however and added five goals of their own in the second term to reduce the margin to ten points at the main break.
The quality of football on display was extremely entertaining for the fans with plenty of goals making a high scoring spectacle. The third term was no different as the Pumas once again outscored the home side to trail the Dolphins by just two points with one quarter to play.
The last term turned out to be an absolute classic with plenty of nerves flying around as both sides traded goal for goal. With the match on a knife’s edge, the Dolphins did just enough to hold off the away side to cling onto a three-point win.
The victory cements Frankston’s spot in third place as they continue their dream start to life as a senior football club. The Dolphins are one of the most exciting teams to watch at the moment with plenty of high scoring and several close finishes. Coach Chris Lacey made an impact coming up from the reserves, kicking four majors to end up the leading goal scorer on the ground.
For the Pumas, the result is devastating but shows just how good they can play when they are switched on. The away side had a good spread of goal kickers up forward with Max Little, Moses Faaola and Jayden Denmead all booting three. Josh Kyle was sensational around the ground and also contributed with a goal.
Carrum Patterson Lakes 21.15 (141) def Dandenong 8.5 (53)
The steam train that is Carrum Patterson Lakes continues to chug along, ploughing through any opposition team that gets in their way. This matchup was always going to be a daunting task for the winless Redlegs, but to their credit they fought hard and started brightly in the first quarter.
But as we’ve seen all season, CPL once again rose to another level and punished Dandenong in the second quarter to take a daunting 45 point lead at half time. The Redlegs continued to fight in the second half but ultimately the Lions had too much class for them, running out 88 point winners.
Tyler Neal and William Dwyer both feasted on the Redlegs defenders, combing for 11 goals between them. Dwyer seems to have cemented his spot in the seniors after breaking into the team last round. For the Redlegs Robert Witt did well to get on the end of three goals and Michael Scott was busy again.
