Round 11: Men's Football Review

By Sam Doyle

Division 1: 

To kick off proceedings in the leagues top division, it was a clash between the bottom two with Bentleigh coming away 26 point winners over East Malvern. 

The Panthers will lament their inaccuracy in front of goal which saw them kick a high number of behinds and also will rue their inefficiency inside 50 as they had 9 more inside 50’s than their opposition. 

Former AFL number one pick Jack Watts, made his long awaited return on the weekend for the Demons. Watts was handy up forward booting 3 goals on his return and added another dimension to the Demons outfit. 

With both teams still sitting in the bottom two, finals looks out of reach for both sides, however could the addition of Watts to the Dees outfit give them a major push and see them make a push for a finals position. 

Tom Wynne was BOG for Bentleigh with a bag of five goals whilst his brother Nick was at his classy best at the other end with 29 disposals.

In a highly anticipated match between the Port Melbourne Colts and the Dingley Dingoes which saw the return of AFL legend Brendan Fevola, the Dingoes proved to be too strong, recording a 15 point win. 

The Colts raced out of the blocks early slotting 5 first quarter goals to 1 as an upset appeared to be brewing, but the Dingoes fought back and showed their class in the second term to claw back the margin and take the lead heading into the main break. 

It was a very even match across the whole game with neither side really able to take control which left it to be a tight contest all day. The Dingoes were wasteful in front of goals however which kept the Colts in the game right until the end. 

Justin Van Unen was a force up forward all day ending the game with 4 majors whilst Lucas Walmsley had leather poisoning once again finishing with 30 disposals. Fevola managed to kick 4 goals in a strong display proving he's still got it but it wasn't enough to get his side over the line. 

Cheltenham made it 8 wins in a row over the weekend cruising to a massive 120 point win over mid table Mordialloc. 

The Rosellas were completely dominant all day having +184 disposals and +82 marks (67 uncontested) reflecting their dominance on the game and not giving the Bloods a sniff, The Rosellas also were accurate in front of goals turning their dominance into 22 majors.

Josh Fox continued his fine season kicking 5 goals whilst Declan McComb and Finn Ryan also chipped in with 3 goals each. 

The Rosella’s who sit second and are on the brink of top spot will be looking to continue their fine form in order to take top place. For the Bloods, their finals hopes still remain a possibility but they will need to improve on recent performances. 

In the fixture of the round between top placed Cheltenham and third placed St Paul’s Mckinnon it went right down to the wire with the Eagles winning by just 2 points in an instant classic. 

With the two sides unable to be split all day and the margin at each break never being more than 8 points it reflected the real arm wrestle of a game it was. The statsheet paints a very similar story with no team being dominant in any area. 

Goalkicking machines from each side in Stephan Muller and Marc Holt were both superb with 4 goals each whilst for the Eagles Tyson Barry kicked 3 goals whilst Jake Carosella was arguably best afield with 2 goals and 34 disposals. 

The Eagles remain a game clear at the top and still appear to be the team to beat but this result will give the Doggies and other teams a realisation that they can match it with the best. 

In the major upset of the week Springvale Districts caused a major boilover out home overcoming top four fancies St Kilda City by a comfortable 31 point margin. 

The Districts opened the game up in the second term where their dominance out of the middle was rewarded resulting in the side kicking 4.5 in a dominant term that could have been even more dominant if they were more accurate in front of the big sticks. 

Daniel Spence and Cory Hutchinson both combined up forward with 3 goals each for the pair proving a handful for the Saints defenders to handle. George Angelopoulos was named best on ground after another strong display for the Districts. 

This win may go a long way for the finals hopes of the Districts with them on the brink of a finals spot and if they keep this form up they may find themselves in a finals position come season's end.

 

Division 2: 

Chelsea Heights hosted Hampton Park in what was a comfortable afternoon for the hosts who cruised to a 9 goal win. 

Chelsea Heights who are fighting for a topl placed finish needed the four point to keep their hopes of finishing top two alive. Chelsea held the lead all day and never looked like not coming away with the four points and it was their fourth quarter which put the exclamation mark on their performance, booting 5 goals to extend their margin. 

Chelsea sit second on the ladder currently and will be out to cement their place in the top two in the coming weeks. For Hampton, their finals chances are slowly fading away and will need a big month to push their claims for a finals spot. 

In what was a very one sided affair Koornang Park Reserve, Caulfield Bears produced a stunning display to complete a demolition job over Heatherton recording a massive 148 point victory. 

The Bears produced a fine display in the opening term in which they kicked a massive 10 goals to one to break the game open in the early stages. The Bears then only built on their lead over the remaining three quarters to receive a huge percentage boost. 

Chris Smith was dominant up forward and booted a monster 8 goals in a best on ground performance whilst the rest of the goals were shared around with the Bears having 12 different goalscorers. 

The Tonners remain winless at the bottom of the ladder and their first win still seems a long way away for them. The Bears who currently sit in the top four will be looking to stay there in the weeks to come. 

In the only tight affair of the round Keysborough and Doveton Doves played out a thriller which saw Keysbourough claim a remarkable 5 point upset win to hand the doves their first loss of the season. 

In what was an extraordinary result it was made even more special due to the fact that the Burras trailed by 7 points heading into the final break. It was a fantastic last term from the Burras which saw them kick 4 goals to the Doves’ 2 to hand them a thrilling win away from home.

The Doves who recorded their first loss still sit first on the ladder and will be out to bounce back next week and get back to their winning ways. For the Burras, this win proved their quality and has put them well and truly in the premiership conversation. 

In a crucial mid table clash Highett hosted East Brighton in what turned out to be a very comfortable affair for the away side who recorded a 62 point victory. 

This game was always shaped as a crucial one with the sides just two points apart on the ladder heading into the game and a win for Highett would have seen them jump the Vampires on the ladder but instead the Vampires increased their gap to see points over Highett. 

Jack Rennex was a dominant force up forward for the Vampires all day finishing with 6 goals whilst Cale Love-Linay kicked 3 goals and racked up plenty of the footy to be arguably best on the day. 

With the gap between these two sides extending on the weekend it will take a huge month or two of footy to see Highett climb above the Vampires and push for a finals spot. 

 

Division 3: 

To kick off the Division 3 results, it was a clash between teams at the opposite ends of the ladder with the league leaders Black Rock coming up against the bottom placed South Yarra. 

Black Rock raced away to a fast start with a superb opening quarter which saw them kick 7 goals to zero to set up a big win with Black Rock continuing on their merryway for the remainder of the game to come away 153 point winners. 

Byron Wright and Lachlan Reynolds proved too much for the Lions to handle with the pair kicking 5 and 4 goals respectively. Taylor Meyer impressed against dominating the middle of the ground in a best afield display. 

Black Rock are a game clear at the top and will be looking to stretch that gap over the weeks to come. At the other end of the scale South Yarra will be aiming to record win number two for the season in July. 

In what was certainly the upset of the round Ashwood produced a fantastic win on the road against Murrumbeena coming away with a 16 point victory. 

With the game being very even and the lead constantly changing between the two sides, neither side being able to build a strong lead at any stage.

With Beena holding an 8 point lead heading into the main break it was the premiership quarter where the Magpies shone kicking 4 goals to 1 to break away with a 14 point lead heading into the final break. 

The last quarter proved an arm wrestle with neither team able to take charge in the quarter leading to the Magpies holding on to a similar margin they went into the fourth quarter with. 

Carrum Patterson Lakes hosted Clayton in what was a crucial clash for CPL’s top two ambitions and they showed every bit of their quality winning comfortably by 9 goals. 

The Clays produced a stunning opening term kicking 6 goals to 4 taking a shock lead heading into quarter time. However they were mowed down in the second and third term with CPL holding a 35 point lead at the last break and extending their lead in the final term. 

Luke Frith was on fire in front of the big sticks finishing with 6 goals and Anthony Giuliano also chipping in once again kicking 5 of his own to take his season tally to 34 in 11 outings. 

CPL are on the verge of a top two spot and will be aiming to climb their way in their over the coming fixtures. The Clays on the other hand sit second bottom and are out to ensure they stay off the bottom of the table. 

It was a game that shaped as a cracker and certainly delivered the Narre South Saints and Endeavour Hills played out a cracking draw at Strathaird reserve. 

With the two sides heading into this clash sitting beside each other on the table and not even this contest could split the two teams. Remarkably this was the Saints’ second draw of the season to date. 

With the contest being a thriller all day it looked as if the Saints had pulled away in the third team where they held as much as a three goal lead but final quarter fightback from the Falcons ensured this game went down to the wire, with the game eventually ending in a draw. 

 

Division 4: 

South Mornington and Hallam played out a belter over the weekend with the Tigers notching up a thrilling 2 point win.

In what was a crucial top four clash for both sides it was the Tigers who came away with the points to move them on equal wins with the Hawks after 11 rounds. 

Josh Abela continued his electrifying form with another impressive display booting 4 goals taking his season tally to 30 in just 11 games. For the Hawks, Rory Mcivor dazzled with 5 goals and got plenty of the footy to be arguably best on ground. 

Both sides sit in the top four and both will be looking to cement their places in the four over the coming weeks. 

In what was another cracking contest Lyndale produced a fantastic upset win on the road against Dandenong to spark their season alive. 

Lydnale got off to a strong start and built on their lead over the first three quarters to take a 34 point lead into the final break. 

The Redlegs needed a miracle to win from 34 points down at 3qt and almost pulled off the unlikely. They kicked 3.8 in the last quarter to 0.2 having plenty of opportunities but were unable to take them leading to a missed opportunity to pull off a memorable win. 

The Pumas just held on thanks to the inaccuracy of the Redlegs but it was a performance from them that deserved 4 points which they were able to achieve. 

Premiership contenders Lyndhurst recorded a comfortable win over Hampton at home cruising to a 55 point win. 

The Lightning who are vying for the top spot, ensured their percentage received a handy boost but could have been boosted a whole lot more if they had kicked better in front of the big sticks ending with 11 goals and 20 behinds. 

It was especially in the third term where the Lightning asserted their dominance producing a 4.8 quarter to 0 which shook off a spirited Hammers outfit. 

Tyson Sparkes and Jarryd Mcgrath once again combined brilliantly up forward with the both booting four goals each. Lachlan Byers also impressed collecting another best on ground display to add to his superb season to date. 

In an incredibly one sided affair, which was expected between the league leaders and the bottom side, Frankston Dolphins charged to an incredible 208 point demolition job of Cerberus.

With this win Frankston have now extended their unbeaten start to the season to 11 straight wins. The Dolphins kicked a whopping 35 majors, with 12 of them coming in the opening term to set up a huge win. 

Richard Mathers starred with 11 goals in a stunning best afield display to take his season goal tally to a ridiculous 53 goals in 11 games averaging just under 5 goals a game. Joshua Kerrigan was also dominant down forward kicking 6 goals in just his third game for the year. 

The Dolphins received a big percentage boost from this win and sit pretty at the top of the ladder and will be looking to remain there until seasons end. Cerberus remain bottom and will need to bounce back in the weeks to come as they look for their second win of the season. 

To round off the weekend's division 4 fixtures the Moorabbin Kangaroos comfortably took care of the Doveton Eagles by 87 points at Power reserve. 

The Kangaroos who desperately needed the win to keep their finals hopes alive set up their win with a fantastic first half display which saw them race to a 10 goals margin at the main break and they didn't look back from then on. 

Mimo Dimachki starred up forward kicking 8 goals in what was just his second outing of the year to add another string to the Kangaroos’ bow up forward. Shaun Jackosn racked up a high number of disposals in another best on ground display to continue his red hot form. 

The Eagles, who sit second bottom with just the one win, have a lot of work to do if they want to pick up their second win for the year. Whilst, the Kangaroos are in a race for a finals position and this performance will give them some much needed confidence for the weeks to come.

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