Weekend Wrap-Ups

DIVISION 1 – ROUND 7 WRAP-UP

With Good Will Hunter

A warmish, dry and mostly sunny Saturday arvo produced some terrific round seven action.

Dingley became the only remaining undefeated side in Division One after beating East Brighton by 41 points in their top-of-the-table clash at Hurlingham Park. The visitors had raced to a comfortable lead by halftime on the back of a six-goal second term and the Vampires simply couldn’t bridge the gap in the second half despite the best efforts of Andrew Jansen and Peter Larson. Jack Clausen and Adam Lloyd were vital cogs in the Dingoes’ engine room, while Dean Francis consolidated his spot at the top of the goal kicking table with another four majors.

Over at Ross Street Reserve Clayton inflicted Heatherton’s seventh straight loss of season 2014. The Tunners fought hard in the first half and clung to a three-point advantage at the long break, but they couldn’t match the Clays in the second half as Tim Edwards booted eight goals to get his side home by 11 points. Heatherton coach Clint Einsiedel stood out on what was another disappointing day for his charges.

After consecutive heart-breaking losses Chelsea Heights finally broke through with a comprehensive 56-point belting of St Kilda City at Beazley Reserve. Six goals in the opening term saw the home side lead comfortably at the first change, and were never really threatened from then on. Sam Fox helped his side to the much-needed win, booting three goals in a scintillating performance while Saints coach Gavin Mahoney was among his side’s best.

East Malvern went from Lindt chocolates to boiled lollies in the space of seven days, thrashed by a resurgent St Pauls to the tune of 96 points. It was simply one-way traffic at McKinnon Reserve as Travis Ridgway and Peter Mercoulia again put on a clinic, Ridgeway finishing with seven sausage rolls. Matty Carroll was one of the few shining lights for the Panthers.

Unfortunately Cheltenham and Bentleigh weren’t as lucky with the weather on Sunday, as a cold, wet, miserable winter’s day greeted the two sides in their clash at Jack Barker Oval. Cheltenham proved too strong for the Demons, with a six-goal-to-nil second term laying the foundation for their 62-point triumph. Todd McLean was solid for Bentleigh, but it was the usual suspects in Chris Graham and Pat Nicholls doing the damage, combining for nine goals for the Rosellas.

 

DIVISION 2 – ROUND 7 WRAP-UP

With Jason Barbin

In the final round before the break, the top 2 sides asserted their dominance for premiership favouritism.

Mordialloc took on a resurgent Murrumbeena at Ben Kavanagh Reserve in round 7. The Bloods led at every change and managed to keep Murrumbeena goalless in the second half whilst kicking 8 goals to record a comfortable 53 point victory. The Bloods were led by their midfield and forwards James Morris and James Pennycuick who kicked 8 goals between them.

Caulfield moved back into the top 3 after a confidence boosting win against Hampton away from home. The Bears trailed at quarter time but kicked 16 goals to 5 for the rest of the game to run out 67 point winners. The Bears were led by a strong midfield and a best on ground performance by forward Adam Connell with 8 goals.

Springvale moved back into the top 5 with a tight win against the improving Doveton. As always, Springvale were led by a strong midfield performance that was also able to provide goals on the board. As a result the Demons had 10 different goal kickers, 5 of which being multiple goal kickers. Brad Dight and Dylan Bramble had 3 goals each while Peter Dye had 8 goals for Doveton.

Highett moved into 4th spot with a solid win against Moorabbin at Turner Road Reserve in round 7. The Dogs have shown considerable improvement since the start of the season as they notched up their 4th win in 5 games. Moorabbin continue to struggle but did show some signs in the 4th quarter. Khaled Kandakji was the best of Dogs forwards, kicking 6 goals.

Skye asserted themselves as premiership favourites with a resounding win against Oakleigh District. The Bombers once again displayed just how good they are defensively restricting Oakleigh to just 4 goals while kicking 11 themselves. Luke McGuinness was again good in front of goal kicking 3 while Matt Doyle was best on ground.

 

DIVISION 3 – ROUND 8 WRAP-UP

With Andrew Paloczi

Dandenong stunned South Yarra with a bold display at Greaves Reserve. After a heavy loss last week, the Redlegs regrouped impressively, starting with a five goal to two first term against the Lions. At three quarter time there was still work to do for Dandenong as its lead was only 10 points, but the Redlegs held firm with two goals to none for the final term, winning by 20 points. They have now moved a couple of rungs up the ladder. Daniel Atkin kicked four goals for the winners, and their best player was Chris Arnold.

Hallam finished strongly in its Friday night home game against Sandown. The Hawks managed 4 goals 6 behinds to a point in the last quarter. Unfortunately for them, this was not quite enough as the Cobras hung on by seven points. Jake Chapman was the best player for the winners, and Jason Toan contributed three goals for them.

Black Rock hosted Lyndale and made a strong statement against a side that was just above it on the ladder. Such was the dominance of the Jets that they kicked 14 first half goals, to lead by 74 points at the major break. The Pumas showed more fight in the second half and the final margin was 62 points to the Jets. Tom Dewar booted seven majors for them for the second week running, and Cory Durie was their best player.

Home ground advantage was not sufficient to give Ashwood a chance against the might of Carrum Patterson Lakes. The Magpies competed hard, holding the Lions to one goal in the first quarter, but unfortunately could not kick one of their own for the term. After this, the class of C.P.L. overwhelmed Ashwood, and the final margin was a comfortable 52 points to the Lions, with Andrew Lucas named their best.

Endeavour Hills ventured to Mayfield Park to challenge Mount Waverley. Unfortunately the Falcons were made to look like sparrows as the Mountain Lions kicked their highest score for the season. The winners booted 27 goals and when the final siren put the Falcons out of their misery, they were left to ponder a 119-point defeat. James Gough starred for the Mountain Lions, being best on ground with 11 goals.

 

UNDER 19s – ROUND 7 WRAP-UP

With Josh Schonafinger

It was a big round of footy in the U19s and we saw some big margins.

Carrum Patterson Lakes had 12 individual goal-kickers in a 117 point win over Chelsea Heights. Seven goals to none in the third quarter blew the game open in CPL’s favour.

There was another triple-figure margin as St Pauls showed Hampton how it is done, to the tune of 106 points. Zachary Spencer kicked six in the Doggies’ big win.

The biggest win of the round was reserved for Dingley however, who trounced Highett by 181 points. The Dingoes kicked 31 goals to the Dogs’ three; Caelin Brooker kicked six, while Tim Zeler and Vincent Arena both kicked five.

At the other end of the scale, the closest match of the round was a real cracker between Skye and Clayton. The Bombers lead by four points at the final change, and did just enough to hang on over the Clays. Two goals to one in the last meant that the margin was a miserly nine points.

The table-toppers Bentleigh had a comfortable win, however there was no blowout against Cheltenham. The Dees were always in control, but the Rosella were resilient enough. Spencer Daly was again in the best for Bentleigh.

We have a couple of really tasty encounters coming up for Round 8 - none more so than Skye against St Pauls, in a match that could really shape the five.
Hope you enjoy the footy this weekend.

 

THIRDS – ROUND 7 WRAP-UP

With Josh Schonafinger

One of the best last quarters of the season saw a thrilling conclusion to the Mount Waverley and Endeavour Hills clash. The Falcons lead by 18 points at the last change, but a six goal final quarter led by Tim Walsh got the Mountain Lions over the line, by seven points.

Skye kept their good thing going with a pretty 80 point victory over Clayton. The Bombers kicked 15 goals on the back of Bradley Dyer’s nine, while the Clays have hit the wall after promising signs earlier in the season.

The three-headed dogs from Cerberus go to fourth after another impressive win, this time against Moorabbin. They restricted the Kangaroos to only four goals for the game, to win by 84 points.

South Yarra are off the mark in 2014 after defeating Dandenong by a convincing 63 points. It could have been more, as it was already a 58 point lead to the Lions at half time. However, they won’t be complaining as they move into 11th spot.

Cheltenham kept the top five within touching distance with a six goal win over Doveton. It was the five goal to two second quarter that was the jump the Rosellas needed, as the other quarters were relatively even. Mitch Westhead was again excellent for Cheltenham.

Dingley had little trouble getting over Black Rock, kicking eight goals to none in the premiership quarter. The margin was 92 points, which will help the Dingoes secure their spot in third position.

Five goals to none in the first quarter proved to be the difference when Sandown downed Hallam. Slow starts have been hurting the Hawks and last week was no exception.