Round 10 Wrap-Ups
DIVISION 1 with JASON BARBIN
Round 10 saw the top four establish their positions on the ladder while the 5th spot remains up for grabs.
Dingley cruised to victory against a gallant East Malvern side at Dunlop Reserve on Saturday. The Dingoes lead from start to finish, cruising to a comfortable 81 point win, holding off the Vampires for 3rd spot on the ladder. Phil Ball returned to form with a 5 goal haul for Dingley.
East Brighton had an astounding 44 scoring shots as they easily accounted for Highett at Hurlingham Park in Round 10. The Vamps could do nothing wrong as they romped to an important percentage boosting 107 point win. Highett still remain at the bottom of the ladder and don’t look like moving up. The two Dean’s (Williamson and Francis) lead the way for the Vamps with 6 goals each.
St Kilda City moved up into 6th spot on the ladder with an important win over Cheltenham at the Peanut Farm. The Saints were just too good for a Rosella side that still have some work to do if they want to play finals. Both teams are now within a game of 5th placed side Clayton. Michael Stinear was among the best for the Saints with 2 goals.
Last time Heatherton and St Pauls met the Tonners received an absolute walloping from the flag favourites, but this time around the margin was a lot closer. St Pauls were still able to record a comfortable win and continue their unbeaten run. Luke James and Rohan Best had 5 goals apiece for the Doggies while Josh Brittliff booted 4 for Heatherton.
Chelsea Heights held onto second spot on the ladder, cruising to victory against Clayton at Beazley Reserve. The loss leaves Clayton defending 5th spot against the Saints and Rosellas who are hot on their heels. For Chelsea Heights, Luke Mander put together another impressive performance up forward booting 6 goals for the victors.
DIVISION 2 with THE FOOTY TRAGIC
Another week closer to finals and all matches last week went as predicted; 4 winners out of 5 tipped, and I did say that Murrumbeena could win if they played to their ability, which they did. The top 4 teams are all on 7 wins and 3 losses, with 5th place on 6 and 4, whilst 6th and 7th are on 5 and 5, meaning of course that the final five is still wide open. I think on exposed form so far, the top 4 are probably ‘safe’, even though anything can happen in this great game of ours, but 5th spot is there for the taking. Moorabbin and Caulfield can still make it mathematically, but have probably cooked their respective goose, and only South Yarra is definitely out of the race for a finals berth.
The first game on the fixture last week saw Caulfield at home to South Yarra. South Yarra made Caulfield work for the points but only kicking 2 points in the second quarter and 1 goal 3 in the last was never going to cause an upset with the Bears finishing up almost 10 goal winners. It’s looking ominous for the Lions; they will need a massive turn around in fortunes if they are going to be playing Division 2 footy next year.
Hampton played host to Mordialloc in the next hit out in a game where Mordialloc led all day but the Hammers were never out of the match. A modest victory of 1 point shy of 4 goals was enough to put Mordi on top of the ladder this week, but Hampton got beaten by almost 10 goals at Mordialloc in Round 1, which shows they are improving as the season progresses.
Oakleigh District took on the “wounded” Bentleigh who were champing at the bit after their shock loss the previous week. Like the last time Bentleigh were shock losers, they bounced back hard and led at every change, coming away with a 14 point victory. Not a lot of difference on the scoreboard, but any victory against the District at Oakleigh is like gold!
The next game saw Skye doing what they had to do. It was a hard ask for them to beat Springvale Districts, even with the home ground advantage, but they were up to the task and kept their finals dreams well and truly alive. They also led at every change and ended up just a tad under 6 goals ahead at the end of the day, and sit one game out of the 5 and with a superior percentage to 5th place Murrumbeena.
The final game saw the unpredictable Murrumbeena turn it on against the dangerous Moorabbin. The Kangas got close at one stage but the Murrumbeena boys were never going to let this game slip and possibly killed off one of the potentials for 5th spot. Murrumbeena just need to keep winning, and winning well.
DIVISION 3 with GOOD WILL HUNTER
Fans were treated to a high-quality shootout at Greaves Reserve as Doveton proved too good for Dandenong. After a tight opening quarter, the Eagles put on a clinic and blew the Redlegs out of the water with a 10-goal second term. Dandenong fought their way back and booted seven goals in the final quarter to trim the final margin back to 40 points.
Over at Edinburgh Reserve, Ashwood pipped Sandown by 7 points. The two sides traded goals in the first term before the Magpies kicked away to a 29-point halftime lead. A seven-goal third term saw the Cobras’ deficit reduced to less than a kick at the final change, but Ashwood held them at bay in the last quarter to get over the line.
Carrum Patterson Lakes registered its fourth consecutive victory with a hard-fought 17-point triumph over the Hawks at Hallam Reserve. The Lions had their noses in front for most of the afternoon, and although Hallam had some opportunities to put some scoreboard pressure on the visitors in the third term, they could only manage a costly 2.6.
Endeavour Hills’ season from hell took a turn for the worse, comprehensively beaten by Lyndale at Barry Simon Reserve. The Pumas kept the home side to just two goals in the first half as it powered away to a 48-point lead at the main interval. The Falcons showed more fight in the third term, but Lyndale looked very impressive as it stormed to an 87-point win.
The final game of the round saw Mount Waverley return to the winners’ circle in devastating fashion with a 94-point thumping of Black Rock at Mayfield Reserve. The Jets took the fight right up to their highly fancied opponents in the first term, but were powerless to stop the Mountain Lions booting a stunning 11 majors in the second. With the deficit beyond the triple figure mark at three quarter time, Black Rock made a stand and kept Mount Waverley goalless in the final term.
UNDER 19s with GOOD WILL HUNTER
Round 10 saw arguably the best game of the season when Murrumbeena hosted Dingley at Beena Arena. It was a tight, see-sawing game that had several lead changes throughout the day. The final term was an absolute cliff-hanger, with the Dingoes getting up by the barest of margins.
After six straight wins, Skye slumped to its second loss in a row – this time well beaten by Bentleigh at the Hangar. It was a hard slog for the first three quarters before the Demons kicked away in the last to record an easy win. These two sides played out the only draw of the season thus far when they met in the opening round.
The Hammers also tasted success, beating Carrum Patterson Lakes by 27 points at the Toolbox. Hampton were always in control of the game, but in encouraging signs the Lions fought extremely hard in the second half and with Shooting Star nominee Dylan Cott prolific, were able to match it with the home side.
Down at Beazley Reserve, Chelsea Heights registered a commanding victory over Clayton. The Heighters kept the visitors goalless for the first three quarters, but the Magpies’ refusal to give up saw their hard work and patience rewarded with a major in the final term.
