Round 6 Review: Division 1

It was a blistering round of football in Division 1, with some absolute cliff-hangers and tight contests dominating the majority of the match ups.

The round kicked off with a big upset as Mordialloc came from behind to shock Port Melbourne Colts by one point at Ben Kavanagh Reserve. The Colts made all the running early, taking a three goal lead before the Bloodhounds stormed back into the contest with five goals in the second term. A scrappy third quarter ensued with the visitors getting the only crucial goal in a genuine arm wrestle. But the home side rose to the occasion once again with the wind in the last, booting four goals to one to pinch the lead and come away with a famous victory, 9.4-58 to 8.9-57. It’s a huge result for the Bloodhounds who now sit 3-3 after a rocky start. David Marguglio was superb for the victors as was young gun Harrison Edwards who led the scoring with three goals. The Colts had several key players out but will be shattered to cough up a game they had under control for the majority of the afternoon. Superstar Kwame McHarg was dominant once again and Mitchell Clarke also tried his best for the visitors. 

Over at Dunlop Reserve it was the home side who walked away comfortable winners, East Malvern downing St Paul’s 10.13-73 to 5.5-35. Similar to many games this season, the Dogs were in the contest right up to their eyeballs before falling away late. It was a tough and dour opening three quarters with just ten goals kicked up until that point. The Panthers were finally able to break the shackles in the last with four final quarter goals putting the result to bed. Luke Poustie had a standout game for the home side with five majors and was well supported by Lucas Hall and Sam Burls who added another strong performance to their solid seasons. For the Dogs, Curtis Murfett led the way with two goals and Will Clarke was strong in the contest. 

The second heart stopping finish for the round took place at the Peanut Farm, as St Kilda City held on for a thrilling four point win over Bentleigh. The Saints dominated the first half with 12 scoring shots to three before the Demons lifted after their half time address. The visitors started to win more of the ball and had plenty of scoring opportunities but could only muster 1.7 to trail by 19 points at the final huddle. They straightened up in the last with three goals but couldn’t find that one last elusive major, falling agonisingly short at the final bell, 6.11-47 to 7.9-51. Edward Greene did the damage up forward for the second week running with four majors and Dane Swan was best on ground with his performance across half back. The Dees were brave and showed plenty of heart with Joseph Colaciello leading the way. 

Cheltenham were given a fourth quarter shake up against Oakleigh District in their 26 point victory over the weekend. The Rosellas weren’t expected to face too many hiccups against the home side and were in cruise control at three quarter time with a 45 point lead. But District found some attacking flair in the final stanza, kicking seven goals in an entertaining finish to the game. Unfortunately for the home side their increase in offence also opened up the door the other way, with four goals to the Rosellas enough to ensure they were in no real danger of coughing up the four points. The final score of 14.15-99 to 11.7-73 keeping Cheltenham’s spotless record intact. The Rosellas shared the scoring around once again with 11 individual goal kickers with Kyle Parsons producing a brilliant performance in his first senior appearance of the season. Francesco Bonacci led the way once again for District. 

The final match of the round followed a fairly predictable script with Dingley far too strong for Highett, 17.28-130 to 3.3-21. The Dogs will be thankful the Dingoes didn’t have their kicking boots on otherwise things could've been really ugly for the young visitors. The Dingoes were at their best in the opening twenty minutes as they piled on the pain with seven goals to one. With the margin already at 96 points at three quarter time, a monstrous victory was on the cards but the Doggies did well to battle it out and reduce any further fallout. As expected Dan Farmer was too hot to handle for the Dogs defence, the key forward having a day out with a big haul of nine majors. Cameron Hansen put together another excellent display and Lachlan Lamble produced his best outing for the season. Former VFL listed player Jacob Duscher was the best for the Dogs.

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