In the highly anticipated top of the table clash between Cheltenham and Cranbourne, it was the Rosella’s who proved too strong coming away 70 point winners.
The Rosellas dominated right from the word go in this clash, but were unable to impact the scoreboard for all their dominance kicking a huge score in the first quarter. They then continued to dominate in the second term but this time managed to hit the scoreboard kicking 4 majors for the term, giving them some separation from the Eagles.
The Rosella’s dominated most aspects of the game recording 48 more disposals and +28 marks reflecting the control they had over the game. They also had 30 more inside 50’s but will rue their inaccuracy in front of goal kicking 13.25 in what could have been a much bigger winning margin.
Austin Johnson produced a brilliant display racking up 34 disposals and also hitting the scoreboard with 2 goals whilst William Mctaggart booted 4 majors.
Port Melbourne Colts recorded a much needed win over the weekend against bottom of the ladder East Malvern coming away 25 point winners.
The Colts headed into this clash needing a win to keep their slim finals hopes alive and they started the game strongly, booting 6 goals to 4 in the opening half and controlling the game for the most part.
Then in the third term the Panthers came out firing booting 4 goals to 2 to set up a thrilling last quarter with the margin being just 5 points at the final break to the way of the Colts. The Colts then dug deep in the last term to kick 3 goals to none and come away with a hard fought out win over a spirited East Malvern side.
St Kilda City continued their strong form over recent weeks recording a 40 point win at home over Bentleigh.
The Saints who have hit an impressive patch of form of late continued that on the weekend with another convincing win and are really pushing for a top two spot in the final weeks of the home and away season.
The Saints raced away early with a 5 goal to 1 first term to immediately put some breathing space between them and the Demons and didn't look back as they gradually built on that margin from quarter over the next three quarters.
Brendan Fevola returned in style booting 5 goals and being a constant threat up forward all afternoon whilst fellow goalkicking machine Aaron Edwards slotted 5 of his own. James Magner impressed once again as did Luke Potts with the pair inspiring a great win for the Saints.
Demon's skipper Ben Cooper was inspirational with 45 disposals.
Dingley sent a reminder to the rest of the competition what they can do come finals time with an impressive 81 point victory over Mordialloc.
The Dingoes raced away to a blistering start having put 5 goals on the board by the first break and then continuing their dominance in the second term to hold a 39 point halftime lead. They then tore up the Bloods once more in the third to term to kick 7 majors for the term to open up a big margin at the final break.
The Dingoes completely dominated the Bloods and controlled the game from all aspects with some jaw dropping stats coming out of this clash as they had a whopping +163 disposals and 128 being in uncontested footy, +40marks and +33 inside 50’s reflecting the true domination by the Dingoes.
Former AFL player Nathan Freeman enjoyed another day out racking up 38 disposals whilst also kicking a goal however he could have had a few more goals if it wasn't for the six behinds he managed to kick. Adam Peacock was the pick of the forwards booting 4 goals whilst Vergim Faik was the highest ranked player on the ground producing a standout display.
In an intriguing matchup between the Springvale Districts and St Paul’s Mckinnon it was the Doggies who proved too strong coming away 22 point winners.
The first half proved to be a really tight contest with both sides bringing the pressure resulting in neither side being able to get their game up and running leading to just a slight 7 point half time margin to Springvale.
The Doggies then produced a fabulous third term booting 7 goals to 1 in an entertaining term of footy and gained the lead to head into the final break with a 33 point margin which they were then able to hold onto in the final term.
Stephan Muller starred again this time booting 5 goals to take his season tally to an astounding 61 goals in 14 game whilst Nicholas Stathopoulos chipped in nicely with 4 goals of his own in a best on ground performance.
Division 2:
In what played out to be a thriller between Chelsea Heights and Keysborough in a crucial clash for the makeup of the top four, Chelsea came away 9 point victors in a beauty.
The game played out to be a real arm wrestle of a contest with neither side being able to gain control of proceedings with the margin swinging from side to side all game but never getting out to more than a few goals.
After three grueling quarters of football, the margin at the final break was a slim 2 points to the way of Chelsea with the game looking like it could go either way. Chelsea came out on top in the last term scoring 2.4 to the Burras’ 1.3 handing them a tight win.
Bradley Gilder continued his impressive form this time with 4 goals whilst Ezekiel Turner was named best afield. For the losing side, Matthew Carnelley (5) and Thomas Shaw (4) combined to kick all 9 of their sides' goals.
In what was a cruisy affair for premiership contenders Doveton against Skye they came away with a convincing 53 point win.
The Doves came out firing in the opening term booting 5 majors to hand them a nice lead at the first change then continued their strong start into the second term to see them have 8.6 on the board to Skye’s 3.6 at the main break.
In the second half the Doves, once again were on top but no by a whole lot as Skye stepped up in the second half and were a lot more competitive in that time to make sure the margin didn't get blown out.
In what turned out to be the game of the round between Hampton Park and East Brighton at Hurlingham reserve, the redbacks came away with a famous 4 point win.
This game shaped up to virtually be an elimination final with the losers finals chances all but gone where as for the winner they would remain right in the hunt for finals, which as a result of this contest was the Redbakcs who are now on the verge of a finals appearance.
It was an incredibly even game with neither side being able to dominate at any stage leaving for a real congested and slow game of footy reflecting the competitiveness between the two sides. The margin never wavered above 10 points with less than a goal separating the sides all day and that was the same case for the final margin with the Redbacks just holding on.
To close out the weekends division 2 fixtures, Highett hosted Caulfield in what was a vital clash for the Bears and their finals aspirations.
The Bears who came into this clash sitting in a finals position, only just however needed the four points to ensure they would remain in the four and close in on a finals appearance which they were able to do with a comfortable 37 point victory.
The Bears were never troubled throughout the day and held a steady lead all day and were able to capitalize on their dominance by hitting the scoreboard. James Backway produced a stellar performance booting 7 goals whilst also being named best on ground whilst the likes of Chris Smith who kicked 6 goals and Jacob Buggy all contributed in a big way as well.
Division 3:
In quite possibly the game of the year between two sides battling for a top four finish it was Endeavour Hills who got over the line against Carrum Patterson Lakes by a slim 2 point margin in an instant classic.
This game was built up to be a huge one with so much on the line in this game, the Falcons desperately needed to win to cut the margin between them and CPL to push for a top four finish whilst CPL were aiming to extend the gap and cement a top four finish.
The Falcons came out firing from the start putting in a spirited display which led to them being on top, but only slightly as they held just a slim margin all day never being able to skip away from a fighting CPL outfit.
Eventually the Falcons did come out on top in a thriller in a dead even last term but they came away 2 point winners to pick up the four points but more importantly reduce the gap between themselves and CPL on the table.
In what was another fantastic game over the weekend Black Rock just held on to complete a gutsy win over a spirited Narre South Saints outfit.
The Narre South Saints headed into this clash as underdogs but needed a win to keep their season alive and they certainly came ready to play and their hunger to win was evident right from the start as they were able to match it with Black Rock early on.
Black Rock were under the pump most of the day and were unable to find their groove leading to them being only slightly ahead all day and the clash going down to the wire, with the margin being just the 2 points at 3qt the Saints produced a 3.5 to 2 goal term to get over the line and eventually came away 13 point victors.
Ashwood proved too strong for Clayton on the road recording a 39 point win to all but cement a top four finish.
The Magpies jumped away to a strong start booting 3.4 in the first term to no score to immediately give them some breathing space in which they only built on slowly over the next three terms to record a convincing win.
Jack Purcell was brilliant up forward on the day booting 6 goals contributing to more than half his sides score however he wasn't alone with a number of other players producing stand out performances like Michael Olden and Patrick Carroll to cap off a great team outing.
South Yarra forfeited against Murrumbeena.
Division 4:
In the upset of the Round, South Mornington produced a stirring win against second placed Lyndhurst in front of a packed home crowd at Citation Reserve.
The Tigers who came into this clash as underdogs but were sensing an opportunity to showcase their premiership credentials which they did. The Tigers started strongly with a 3 goal opening term and continued their strong start in the second quarter to hold the lightning goal less in the first half setting up the win.
The Lightning then turned the script in the third term kicking 3.4 to the Tigers zero goals levelling the scores at the final change setting up a thrilling last term which saw a real arm wrestle played with both teams kicking just the one goal but it was the Tigers 4 last quarter behinds which got them over the line in a classic.
In a much more expected outcome, Dandenong took care of Doveton in a comfortable 73 point win for the Redlegs at home.
The Redlegs started the game on fire and came out on top in most aspects of the game in the first half, controlling the game whilst also moving the footy with ease. This first half dominance led to a 8 goal to 3 first half to give them a good platform to build on.
The third quarter saw the Doves fight their way back into the contest lifting their intensity and defensive pressure which led to a 3 goal to 2 quarter for the Doves and that scoreboard didn't do their efforts in the third term justice.
The Redlegs then blew the Doves away with a terrific final term in a blistering quarter which saw them kick 8 goals to 0 to wrap up a big win. J.L Lawrence was the star of the show for the Redlegs booting 7 majors.
In a very one sided affair, Hallam absolutely cruised to a 108 point win over Lyndale in a very impressive display from the Hawks.
This contest had shaped as an intriguing one with both sides sitting only a couple of wins between them but it quickly turned into a belting with the Hawks kicking 5 goals to none in the first term.
The Hawks then produced a scintillating third term kicking a whopping 13 goals straight in the third term alone to blow the margin wide open and put the result beyond doubt. In this incredible third term the Hawks looked unstoppable tearing up Lyndale in all areas and moving the ball and scoring with absolute ease.
Tom Bradley was the pick of the forwards with 5 goals in what otherwise was a brilliant team display with the Hawks having 11 individual goal scorers.
Cerberus and the Moorabbin Kangaroos played out a belter of a contest on Saturday afternoon in what was an intriguing game of football.
The Kangaroos went in this clash as heavy favorites but quickly found themselves 4 goals down as Cerberus booted 4 goals to none in a brilliant opening term for the hosts. Then the second term saw the Kangaroos find their groove as they produced a stunning quarter of football booting 7 goals to 1 to hand the Roos a half time lead.
The second half produced another tight affair with just the two goals in it over the second half going the way of the Kangaroos to hand them a gutsy win. Matthew Johansson starred with 5 majors whilst Shaun Jackson was named best afield again.
In an incredibly one sided affair the undefeated Frankston Dolphins absolutely dismantled a helpless Hampton outfit by a breath-taking 178 points.
The Dolphins dominated from the first minute of the game right until the last only conceding the one goal whilst kicking 28 majors of their own along with 23 behinds in a whitewash of a contest.
Joshua Kerrigan was dynamite up forward slotting 9 goals whilst goal kicking machine Richard Mathers booted 8 to take his season tally to a remarkable 70 goals in 16 outings.
