Vampires outlast resilient Rosellas

Division 1 – Round 9 Wrap-Up

With Good Will Hunter

A gallant Cheltenham pushed East Brighton all the way in their clash at Jack Barker Oval but ultimately the Rosellas couldn’t finish off the job. Chelt led by eight points at the final change and it looked like a stunning upset was on the cards. But the Vampires lifted, piling on seven goals to one in a dominant last quarter to set up a comfortable 32-point victory. Toby Mahoney was superb with four goals, while Tom Jessup and Mitch Garvey were also instrumental. For the Rosellas it was Andy Dewar and Pat Nicholls leading the resistance.

St Kilda City blew a golden opportunity to claim a top-four scalp, going down by seven points to Mordialloc at Ben Kavanagh Reserve. The inaccurate Saints kicked themselves out of it, registering 3.8 in the first term when they had the chance to put the Bloods to the sword. Little separated the two sides all afternoon but four goals in the final term saw Mordi home, with Stefan Gregory and Beau Turner among the contributors. Henry Sullivan and Cam Hansen lead the way for City.

Meanwhile East Malvern bounced back with a 30-point win over Bentleigh at Bentleigh Reserve. The Demons, well served by Sam McGarry and Jackson Meredith, played exciting footy and kept their noses in front for much of the first half. But they eventually ran out of steam, allowing the Panthers to storm home with 10 goals to five after the long break. Mark Ryan booted six majors to claim top spot on the league goalkicking table while Callan Van Dyke was also colossal for the winners.

St Pauls has jumped into the top five for the first time in 2015 after disposing of Chelsea Heights by 39 points at Beazley Reserve. This was a game the Doggies never looked like losing as they led from start to finish. Travis Ridgeway was the difference, claiming best afield honours with a six-goal masterclass for the winners. His teammate Jarryd Allan continued his sizzling form while the Heighters were well served by Pat Morrissey and Joel Williams.

The final game saw a rampant Dingley outfit slaughter Clayton to the tune of 103 points at Souter Oval. An 11-goal-to-nil demolition in the third term pushed the difference beyond the triple-digit mark by three quarter time, but the Clays did well to prevent the margin blowing out further with a respectable final stanza. Big Dean Francis was back to his best with a five-goal bag, while Dan Farmer (four majors) also had a huge impact. Daniel Kirby was Clayton’s best.

 

Division 2 – Round 9 Wrap-Up

With Jason Barbin

After a week off for the long weekend, the Southern Football League is back in action with some highly competitive games of footy.

Skye won its sixth game of the year after a tight victory against Highett at Carrum Downs Recreation Reserve. The Bombers got off to a slow start but a good second quarter saw them take a six point lead into half time. But Highett was able to maintain the pressure on Skye and pushed them the whole way but it wasn’t enough as Skye ran out four point winners. Ben Evans was named best on ground with three goals for Skye.

Keysborough have bounced back from its first loss of the season to record a dominating 105 point win over Heatherton. The Burras never looked in doubt as they opened the game with an eight goal first quarter. The margin quickly extended in the second half as Keysborough continued to flex its muscles. Daniel Morland was named best on ground with four goals while Keysborough 300 gamer Corey Wilkinson was also named in the best.

A strong second half showing has helped Oakleigh Districts cruise to an eight-goal win over Caulfield. The Bears took it up to Oakleigh in the first half before the Districts flipped the switch in the second half, kicking nine-second half goals to build a sizeable advantage. Brody Hodic was named best on ground for Oakleigh while Khaled Kandakji kicked three goals.

Murrumbeena have achieved a rare feat and beaten Doveton despite kicking one less goal. Inaccuracy cost the Beena a bigger win and the two sides traded goals for most of the afternoon. But an improved second half helped Murrumbeena overcome a seven point half time deficit and turned it into a one point win. Dean Spanos was judged to be best on ground for his creativity in front of goals, kicking four.

A commanding final quarter has seen Hampton blow away Springvale at Peterson Street Reserve. The Hammers started hot in the first quarter and jumped out to a five goal lead before Springy fought back to hold a one point advantage going into the final quarter. But the Hammers proved to be too good in the end as they kicked five final quarter goals to win by 28 points. Scott Fiora was superb up forward for Hampton kicking six goals.

 

Division 3 – Round 9 Wrap-Up

With Andrew Paloczi

Paul Wineberg starred with five goals for Ashwood, as the Magpies caused a major upset downing Black Rock by 19 points at MacDonald Reserve. Another major contributor for the Magpies was Frank Martinicchio who booted four majors. With half the home and away season now completed, a number of teams are in with a shot at the premiership. Although the Jets still occupy the top spot on the ladder, there are three teams only a game behind them, including the fourth-placed Ashwood.

Moorabbin is another team in the mix for September glory, but after winning six games straight to start the season the Kangaroos have now lost two out of their last three matches to sit third on the table. Playing at home the side was expected to be too strong for Lyndale, but the Pumas kept close in the first half, trailing by just 9 points at the long break. By the final change Lyndale had edged its way in front by a couple of goals, and went on to win by 24 points. Veton Rexha continued his strong season, being named the winner’s best and Jared Henshaw was also prominent with six goals.

Visiting team, Sandown, trailed by nine points at quarter time against Mount Waverley. The Mountain Lions then ran away with the game, recording a seven-goal win. Luke Galle managed six majors for the winners and teammate Drew Macrae was only one behind him. Coach, Jarrod Wilkin, was Mount Waverley’s best player for the third time this season and his team is in a strong position, occupying the second rung on the ladder.

Playing at home South Yarra was too strong for Hallam in the first half, but failed to capitalise on its dominance to that point due to inaccurate kicking. The Lions could manage only 4 goals 9 behinds up to the long break. At that stage the Hawks trailed by four goals. In the remainder of the match the Lions booted nine goals to two, cruising to a 73-point win. Tom Rogers was the winner’s best player and Carl Matheson was its biggest goal scorer with three.

With four goals each from Trevor March and Justin Olaman, the visiting Carrum Patterson Lakes was far too strong for Dandenong. The Lions triumphed by 65 points and Shaun Richards was their best player. Although CPL is a couple of games away from the top of the ladder and currently sits fifth, the Lions will still feel confident they can be a serious contender in the second half of the season.

Endeavour Hills had a day to remember when it travelled to Keeley Park to take on the struggling Southern Dragons. The Falcons’ Shane Peake put through eight goals, twice as many as the Southern Dragons could manage, and Cedric Legrand and Daniel Morrison added further pain with seven majors each for the victors. Endeavour Hills’ winning margin was a whopping 165 points. The only positive for the Southern Dragons was that they were accurate, managing their four goals from only five scoring shots.