Weekend Wrap-Ups
DIVISION 1 – ROUND 5 WRAP-UP
With Good Will Hunter
Cheltenham returned to the winners’ circle after defeating St Pauls by 13 points at McKinnon Reserve. The Rosellas had skipped out to a handy 27-point lead by three-quarter time, but a couple of late final-term goals to Travis Ridgeway made the final few minutes interesting. Chris Graham again did the damage on the scoreboard, booting seven of Cheltenham’s 12 goals and big Pat Nicholls was also influential. Peter Mercoulia again starred for the Dogs.
Down at Beazley Reserve East Malvern pulled off a thrilling upset victory over Chelsea Heights. The Panthers pressure around the ground allowed them to hold a slight advantage in what was a tight contest all afternoon. In a frantic final term the Luke Newton-led Heighters continually surged forward but the visitors’ defence proved impenetrable as they held on to win by just three points. Callan Van Dyke continually broke the lines off half back and was easily best on ground, while Panthers teammate Clint Johnson booted four vital majors.
Heatherton were gallant, but ultimately fell 13 points short of St Kilda City at Ross Street Reserve. It was a tale of two halves as the visitors ran riot on their way to a commanding half-time lead. The Tunners, to their credit, fought back hard in the second half with Kane Tucker and Jake Donaldson leading the charge, but just couldn’t land that killer blow to clinch a remarkable win. Rick McConchie and Daniel McGee were instrumental in getting the Saints over the line.
Tim Edwards put in a tremendous solo effort for Clayton, scoring all five of his side’s goals. Unfortunately that was the Clays’ only highlight as Dingley romped home by 80 points. Dingoes spearhead Dean Francis won the game off his own boot with an eight-goal haul, while Marcus Freeman capped a best afield performance with four majors of his own.
The last match saw East Brighton bring Bentleigh back down to earth with a 75-point thumping at Hurlingham Park. The Vampires led at every change and never looked threatened with skipper Ben Douthie and Tait Sabec dominating. James Robertson was Bentleigh’s best.
DIVISION 2 – ROUND 5 WRAP-UP
With Jason Barbin
Round 5 saw plenty of action and a more than a few upsets as the ladder starts to take shape.
Hampton were looking to make their way up the ladder when they took on Murrumbeena in round 5. Not known for their high scoring nature, the Hammers took a defensive attitude into the game and it worked well in their favour. Their pressure on Murrumbeena caused mistakes all over the ground as they went on to win by 3 points. Inaccurate kicking cost Murrumbeena, who have now lost three straight games. Chris Worner kicked 4 goals for the Hammers.
On the other side of the ledger, Oakleigh Districts won their 3rd in a row and moved to 3rd on the ladder with a 54 point win against Moorabbin. After a tightly contested start to the game, the Oakleigh midfield proved to be too good and simply outran their opponents. Paul Fermanis was simply superb with 6 goals for Oakleigh.
Highett also won their 3rd game in a row and moved into 4th on the ladder after a victory against Doveton in round 5. The Eagles didn’t make it easy for them however, pushing the Dogs for three quarters before they were able to pull away in the 4th quarter, kicking 4 goals to 1 to seal the victory. Beau Jedd was best on ground for the Dogs with 4 goals while Peter Dye kicked 5 for the Eagles.
In one of the upsets of the season across all 3 divisions, Mordialloc lost their first game of the season when they took up Springvale Districts in round 5. Mordialloc held a 28 point lead going into the final quarter but were unable to hang on as a rampaging Springvale kicked 5.5 to one point in a memorable victory for the club. Clint Brooks was best on ground for the victors, who remain in the hunt for a finals spot.
Though they had to overcome some inaccurate kicking in front of goal, Skye moved into top spot on the ladder with a comfortable victory against Caulfield at home. For the first three quarters, both teams fought hard and neither team were able to kick straight and put the other away. It wasn’t until the final quarter that Skye were able to pull away kicked 8 goals to 1 and move into top spot. Adam Beness was best on ground for the Bombers.
DIVISION 3 – ROUND 6 WRAP-UP
With Andrew Paloczi
Hallam got off to a flying start at home, keeping Lyndale scoreless in the first quarter. By then the Hawks had built a 29-point lead. This set a pattern for the night, with almost all the scoring occurring at one end of the ground. The Pumas used the scoring end better, winning by 20 points. Brett Tosh was named best for them, and their top goal scorers were Shannon Deszcz with three, and Trevor Kumetaitis with two.
The surprise of the round came at Barry Simon Reserve. Endeavour Hills was expected to have too much class for South Yarra, but the Lions led at every change. The margin was only 19 points going into the final term. The Lions then launched an all-out assault, outscoring the Falcons nine goals to two. The winning margin was 62 points. Daniel Russell bagged five majors for the Lions, and their best was Jordan Cellini.
The contest between Mount Waverley and Carrum Patterson Lakes was riveting. At half time the Mountain Lions clung to the lead by a solitary point. CPL had to work hard to stay this close, often being forced to hand ball under pressure. In the third quarter the Lions broke free. They were quick, efficient and cohesive, and the few attacks that the Mountain Lions managed were usually thwarted. CPL went to the huddle with a commanding five-goal advantage. Just as it seemed the Lions would claim top spot, the Mountain Lions awoke, taking charge of the match to run out 21-point victors. James Gough staged a commanding performance with six goals, and was named in the Mountain Lions’ best, behind Ben Beecroft.
Black Rock was expected to claim the points when it visited Ashwood’s home ground and the Jets did enough. However, the Magpies put up a good fight, and held a small lead at half time. By the final siren the Jets were four goals clear, and their top gun was Tom Dewar, with five goals. The Jets’ best player was Will Sanchez.
Playing at home offered no advantage for Dandenong, as it failed to score in the first quarter against Sandown. The Cobras were never challenged, winning by 31 points. John Frenken was their top performer.
UNDER 19s – ROUND 5 WRAP-UP
With Josh Schonafinger
St Pauls entrenched themselves in the top five with a convincing win over Cheltenham, by 75 points. After a slow start, it was six goals to one in the second term that pushed the Doggies into a big lead. The Rosellas had no answers and couldn’t stop the regular majors as St Pauls had ten individual goal-kickers.
Hampton continued their mini-revival with an impressive 39 point against Chelsea Heights. The margin sat at eight points at half time, but a seven goal to two second half gave the Hammers the four points. Mark Digby proved instrumental for the victors, receiving best afield honours.
The table topping Bentleigh showed no mercy for the bottom placed Highett when they met at Turner Road. The Dees kicked 22 goals and conceded only two for the match, a performance which was led by Bradley Atholwood’s seven goals.
Inconsistency has been a regular theme for Skye this season, and it was again on the weekend against Carrum Patterson Lakes. After the Bombers dominated for three quarters, CPL stormed back into the match in the last with five goals to one. Skye managed to hold on in a close finish though, by five points.
Two contenders met in the Clayton and Dingley fixture, and it was difficult to separate them for much of the encounter. The Clays proved to be just too strong in the last, holding on by 15 points. The result leaves the Dingoes in third position and firmed up the Clays’ second spot; behind the undefeated Bentleigh.
THIRDS – ROUND 5 WRAP-UP
With Josh Schonafinger
It was no surprise to see Skye take the four points off Black Rock, however the margin was somewhat unexpected. The Bombers had ten individual goal-kickers and finished with 18 - meaning the final margin was a huge 109 points. The Jets managed only two goals for the game and slip back to the pack.
Like above, Dingley took care of Clayton in a match that was predicted to be a little more tightly-contested. The Dingoes shot out to 39 point lead at quarter time, setting up a 69 point victory.
It couldn't have been much more one-sided as Cerberus hosted Doveton, 174 points the final margin. Jason Daniel and Jacob MacGregor both kicked five as the Eagles were simply outplayed in all facets by Cerberus.
Sandown returned to the winners’ list with a dominant second-half performance against Dandenong. The margin was four points at the major break, but the Cobras came out and kicked 11 goals to two in the second half to blow the Redlegs out of the water; the final score being a 62 point win.
Hallam put together a gutsy win against Cheltenham to stay in touch with the top five, winning by 25 points. The Rosellas were still goalless at half-time, and a mini-comeback wasn’t enough to overrun the Hawks - who go to ninth on the ladder.
Five goals to Shaun Meredith set up a big win for Mount Waverley over Moorabbin, by 91 points. After outclassing the Roos, the Mountain Lions stay unbeaten and sit in second position, only on percentage.
South Yarra are still searching for their first win after Endeavour Hills kept them to only two goals for the match. The Lions were never in the match as the Falcons started well, the end result being an 84 point Falcon victory.
