Weekend Wrap-Ups

DIVISION 1 – ROUND 6 WRAP-UP

With Good Will Hunter

Chelsea Heights suffered its second heart-breaking loss in succession, pipped by the Demons at Bentleigh Reserve. Erish Uthayakumar booted eight goals as the Heighters led at every change, before Bentleigh stormed home in the final term to win by just three points. Scott Lawry and Luke Crozier were instrumental for the winners.

East Malvern made it two wins on the trot with a stunning 61-point belting of Cheltenham at Dunlop Reserve. The Panthers were hot from the get-go, booting six goals to one in an opening term blitz. Tremaine Tohiariki dominated in the middle to help his side to the four points, but the Panthers side had no answer for Pat Nicholls, who booted seven goals in a sensational solo performance for the Rosellas.

East Brighton again got the job done, this time eclipsing St Kilda City by 47 points at Peanut Farm. The Saints fought hard in the first term, but the class of the Vampires shone through as they gained the ascendancy in the second term and were never really challenged after half-time. Tait Sabec continued his purple patch of form with another B.O.G., while Peter Larsen was also solid for East Brighton. Paul Kennelly fought hard for City.

St Pauls made a welcome return to form with a 75-point thrashing of Clayton at Meade Reserve. The result was never in any doubt as Ryan Kitchin and Adam McIntire ran amok for the Doggies. Jayden Gilmore worked tirelessly all afternoon for the Clays.

The final game was a goal-feast for Dingley as they piled on more pain for Heatherton at Souter Oval. The Dingoes kept the Tunners goalless for the first half, and although they fought back in the second on the back of a sublime performance from Kane Tucker, they were powerless to stop Dingley running out 102-point victors. Dean Francis bagged another seven, while three majors from Dan Bolger saw him clinch best afield honours.

 

DIVISION 2 – ROUND 6 WRAP-UP

With Jason Barbin

Round 6 was a round full of surprises as a dogfight in the middle of the table emerges.

Caulfield moved back within percentage of a top 5 spot with a comfortable win against Highett. The Bears led at every change but sealed the game with a 3 goal to nil final quarter and move into 6th spot on the ladder. The Bears forward line once again turned on the pressure which helped turn the tide in the second half. Nick Perry was best on ground with 3 goals.

Murrumbeena were back on the winners list, as well as the top 3, with a tight win in a high scoring affair against Springvale Districts. Both teams showed that they can spread the scoring with 23 of the 44 players on the field kicking goals. Quick ball movement was the key to this high scoring affair and the Murrumbeena midfield proved too good in that area. Chris Evans was among the best of the Murrumbeena midfield.

Hampton missed a golden opportunity to move into the top 5 when they fell to Doveton in round 6. But to the Eagles credit they led the game from start to finish and showed that their best can be very competitive. Midfielder Matt O’Callaghan was again impressive while key forward Peter Dye bagged another 3 goals to put himself into contention for the leading goal kicker award.

Mordialloc bounced back following their first loss of the season with a confidence boosting win against Oakleigh Districts. Both teams fought hard in the first three quarters before Mordialloc were able to pull away in the fourth quarter kicking 4 goals to 1 behind after a strong performance from their midfield. Key forward James Morris returned to form for the Bloods with 6 goals.

Skye cemented their place on top of the Division 2 ladder and received a healthy percentage boost with a dominating performance against Moorabbin. Skye finally showed their offensive talents kicking 27 goals in the win, 16 more than their previous best effort this season. Moorabbin tried valiantly in the second half but the Bombers were just too good in every facet of the game. Luke McGuinness kicked his first big bag of the season with 7 goals.

 

DIVISION 3 – ROUND 7 WRAP-UP

With Andrew Paloczi

Lyndale hosted Endeavour Hills, and this match was a beauty. The Pumas led narrowly at every break and in the end prevailed by only four points. Benjamin Graham booted a couple of goals for the valiant Falcons and was named their best. Mark Greene contributed three majors for the Pumas and was named in the best for the winners, behind Dale Tormey.

Ashwood was not daunted by the prospect of an away clash with Sandown. The Magpies led by five goals after only 10 minutes’ play, and still held a 17-point buffer at half time. The Cobras proved more venomous in the third term, with a commanding effort putting them up by 14 points at the last change. Clint Sheedy had another big day with five goals for the Cobras, in their 17-point win. Ciaran O’Shaughnessy was named their best player.

South Yarra was at home against Mount Waverley. This proved a closer match than anticipated, with the Lions within 25 points at three quarter time. The final margin was 44 points to the Mountain Lions. Jordan Cellini was again one of the best for South Yarra, contributing three goals. James Gough continued his impressive form with four goals for the Mountain Lions, and Joey Rickard booted the same number for them. Ben Stacey was the best player for the ladder leaders.

Tom Dewar starred for Black Rock when Hallam paid a visit. He finished with seven goals, and was named the best player for the Jets. However, the home team did not have everything its own way. The Hawks were three points in front at quarter time. They showed strong character throughout the game, but the Jets proved too classy, getting home by five goals. It was commendable that Hallam fought the game out to the end, with five goals to two in the last quarter.

In a round where a few underdogs took it right up to the favourites, Dandenong was unfortunately not part of this trend. Carrum Patterson Lakes was too strong, and the Lions mauled the Redlegs at Roy Dore Reserve. The gap between the teams was highlighted by a 128-point final margin. Justin Olaman and Trevor March booted five goals each for the Lions, and their best was Jordan Bertrand.

 

UNDER 19s – ROUND 6 WRAP-UP

With Josh Schonafinger

Round six was a peculiar one for the Under 19s, with all home sides finishing with the four points.

Bentleigh continued their dominant season with a big win over Chelsea Heights. The Dees were inaccurate for the match, kicking 23 behinds, however they made up for it somewhat with 20 goals. Damon Grant kicked six in the 115 point win.

Cheltenham overcame Hampton to stay in touch with the top five, running out 39 point winners. With the match still in the balance at three quarter time, three goals to zip sealed the deal for the Rosellas.

It looked as if Carrum Patterson Lakes were going to blow Highett out of the water at Roy Dore Reserve, with the half time margin being 45 points. To the credit of the Dogs though, they outscored CPL in the second half and although never threatened for the win, brought the margin back to a respectable 33 points.

Clayton had to work hard to overcome St Pauls at home, with less than a goal separating the teams at the last change. Only then did the Clays hit their straps, piling on ten goals to none in the last quarter to really blow out the scoreboard; the final margin 76 points.

Finally Dingley held onto third spot with a straight-forward win over Skye. The Bombers needed to put up a competitive performance, however the Dingoes kicked 17 goals to four and were too strong, winning by 86 points.

 

THIRDS – ROUND 6 WRAP-UP

With Josh Schonafinger

To begin the Round 6 review, we’ll go to the cracker played between Dingley and Cerberus. The Dingoes held a slight two point advantage at three quarter time, but showed that they were the fitter side, out-running Cerberus in the last to record a 25 point victory.

Clayton pushed Endeavour Hills all the way in one of the closest matches of the round. Despite being a few rungs below the Falcons on the ladder, the Clays were determined but couldn’t get the job done; going down by four points.

The run of tight matches continued with Sandown and Cheltenham. The Rosellas led by five at the last break, but a determined Cobras outfit stole the win with two crucial last quarter goals. The margin here was four points as well.

Mount Waverley flexed their muscle with a commanding 83 point win over South Yarra. The Lions were never really given a sniff as they only had one goal to half time. The Mountain Lions on the other hand had seven individual goal kickers and kicked 16 for the match.

There will be no change on top for Round 6 as Skye took care of Moorabbin to the tune of 108 points. The Roos didn’t score after half time while the Bombers kicked 18 goals thanks to 12 different goal kickers.

In an unexpected blowout, Black Rock were far too good for Hallam, winning by 65 points. It could have got out of hand, with the margin being 68 at three quarter time, however the Hawks showed some guts and resistance. Leigh Jones was the star with six goals for the Jets.

The fourth and final tight one for the round were two sides searching for their first victory of 2014 in Doveton and Dandenong. It wasn’t going to be a shootout, and in fact only seven goals were kicked for the match. The Eagles had all the momentum in the last however the Redlegs held on by five points. It wasn’t pretty, but they’ll take the four points every day of the week.