Holmesglen Round 9 Wrap-Ups

DIVISION 1 with JASON BARBIN

After the players had a well-deserved week off, Southern Footy was back and things are just starting to heat up in the second half of the season.

East Malvern took on St Kilda City in a must win match-up for the Saints if they wanted to stay in finals contention. And win they did, in a good game of football against an East Malvern side who really took it to the Saints after registering only a behind to quarter time. James Green was the leading goal kicker on the ground with 4 for the Saints.

An accurate second half in front of goal helped East Brighton to a 19 point win against Cheltenham at Jack Barker Oval in Holmesglen Round 9. The sometimes inaccurate Vampires kicked 7.3 to pull away from the Rosellas, who fall back to a game behind the 5th placed Clayton. With the win, the Vamps move within striking distance of a top 3 spot. Dean Williamson was among the best for the Vampires.

St Pauls made it 9 from 9 with a win against Clayton at Meade Reserve in Holmesglen Round 9. The Doggies cruised to the win with relative ease though they were outscored in the second half by Clayton, who were looking to put in a better effort after being belted by the Vamps before the bye. Luke James bagged 5 goals in his return for the Dogs.

Dingley have dropped down to third on the ladder after falling at home to Chelsea Heights. The Heighters were too good in the second half kicking 6 goals to 4 to record the 14 point win. The return of Travis Johnstone for the Heighters helped them to secure a top 2 spot while Luke Bartholomew was among the best for the Dingoes.

Heatherton got their first win of the season downing the still winless Highett at Turner Road in Holmesglen Round 9. The Tonners dominated from the start with a 6 goal opening quarter and were relentless for the rest of the game recording a 50 point win. It was their best game for the season and it sees them move up from the bottom of the ladder. Highett need to find some form in the second half of the season or they will find themselves in Division 2 next season. Josh Brittliff was best for Heatherton with 3 goals.

 

DIVISION 2 with THE FOOTY TRAGIC

Few changes in the ladder after last week as the top 5 shuffled their positions.  Springvale Districts finds themselves at the top of the Ladder by percentage from Oakleigh District. I predict that it might take a while before the positions settle down, with Hampton and Skye being the only other 2 teams likely to make it, although Moorabbin seems to be playing a better brand of football.

Mordialloc went about doing what they had to do at home against South Yarra.  Just on 20 goals was the final margin and the percentage boost may come in handy at the end of the season.  The light at the end of the tunnel doesn’t seem to be getting any closer for South Yarra; lets hope for their sake they can get a win before the season finishes.

Skye’s second and third quarters was the difference against Bentleigh. Conditions weren’t conducive to fast attractive football, but both teams had to adapt the best they could. Bentleigh toppled from 1st to 4th on the ladder and will be keen to put this game behind them, whilst Skye will hope this victory will give them the impetus to get into that Final 5.

Springvale Districts seems to have had the wood over the Bears in previous meetings and his match did not dent their record.  However, they didn’t really put Caulfield away as easily as they would have liked, as the Bears kept plugging away and even outscored Springy in the last quarter.  Still, I’m sure Springvale would take a 6 goal victory every week if given the opportunity.

Hampton and Murrumbeena went exactly as I predicted. This was a game of 2 halves (like every game is I suppose!), but Murrumbeena held sway by 9 goals to 6 in the first half, whilst Hampton stormed home to kick 8 goals to 3 in the second half to come out winners.  Percentage only separates 5th and 6th spot this week, yet Hampton will need to do a bit of work to bridge that gap if they are to take 5th spot on the ladder.  These 2 teams still remain as the most up and down teams in this Division as far as performances go.

The final game saw Oakleigh Districts hold out a determined Moorabbin at Princes Hwy Reserve.  Moorabbin are my danger team outside the 5 and are getting more confident in their ability each week. The District have had a couple of “downers” during the season, but they are a very good team. To go down by 7 points to Oakleigh at Oakleigh should be a warning to the other teams in this Division that Moorabbin is “in town” and it will take a-grade efforts if they are to beat them.

 

DIVISION 3 with ‘GOOD’ WILL HUNTER

After a relaxing long weekend off we were treated to a tremendous day of Division 3 footy last Saturday.

The match of the round certainly lived up to its billing with Doveton edging out Mount Waverley in a classic shootout at Mayfield Reserve. The game was tight in the first half as the Mountain Lions made the most of their opportunities in front of goal. But the Eagles stamped their authority on the game in the premiership quarter and held on to win by 18 points.

Black Rock took the chocolates over Hallam in a nail-biter at Hallam Reserve. The Jets flew out of the blocks, banging on six goals to one in a dominant opening quarter. Not to be denied, the home side worked its way back into the match, and seven goals in the third term saw the Hawks take a slender lead into the final change. But in an epic final term, Black Rock edged home by less than a kick.

Ashwood and Carrum Patterson Lakes also played out a terrific contest at Essex Heights Reserve, with the Lions prevailing by 11 points. The visitors led comfortably for most of the afternoon, extending their lead at every change. The Magpies then rallied in the final term and although they got themselves right back into the match, they couldn’t quite make up the difference.

Over at Edinburgh Reserve, Sandown scored a 20-point come-from-behind win over Endeavour Hills.  After a solid start the Falcons found themselves in front at the main interval. But they couldn’t go on with it, and the Cobras booted eight goals to three in the second half to run away with the match.

The final game saw Dandenong easily account for a disappointing Lyndale at Greaves Reserve. The Redlegs were red-hot booting eight goals in the opening stanza before extending their lead to an insurmountable 71 points by half time. The Pumas earned back some respect in the third term as they kept Dandenong scoreless, but they couldn’t prevent them running out 66-point winners.

 

UNDER 19s with ‘GOOD’ WILL HUNTER

In somewhat of an upset at Beena Arena, Murrumbeena inflicted Skye’s first loss for the year. The Bombers got away to a 21-point quarter time lead, but Beena dominated from that point on, running out winners by seven points.

Over at the Den, Chelsea Heights had all the early run and led Dingley at half time. But they couldn’t maintain their efforts as the Dingoes flexed their muscle in the second half and saluted the home crowd with a hard-fought 18-point win.

St Pauls were switched on from the start and registered a comprehensive win over Clayton at Meade Reserve. Although the Doggies had a big lead by the main break, Clayton dug deep and were much improved in the second half.

In the final game of the round, Hampton came up against the rampaging Demons at Bentleigh Reserve and lost convincingly. Bentleigh dominated from start to finish, but Hampton should be applauded for the way they fought the game out to the end.