And then there were five…

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Kristin Sims

Everything was on the line for Caulfield Grammarians if they wanted to hold onto third spot when they took on West Brunswick. Both sides shared the ball in the first quarter, with neither looking to have control of the game. The backlines of both teams were kept busy with intercept marks on either side keeping the goals clear. West Brunswick went on a run throughout the last part of the first quarter where they were using the middle of the ground more. After a great piece of play they were on the board with an early lead. 

West Brunswick kept their momentum for the beginning of the first term, running the ball hard through the middle of the ground but struggled again to find their forwards with their entries inside fifty. An unfortunate mistake from the West Brunswick defence got Caulfield their first goal of the game with a handy kick in front of goals. The rest of the quarter continued to be an arm wrestle throughout the middle of the ground with both sides unable to capitalise on their attack. West Brunswick were doing all they could to get the upset win pushing the defence of Caulfield for the third quarter but were let down by their goal kicking. 

With neither team kicking a goal in the third quarter the game was set up for an exciting final term. Caulfield had all the ball early, but the West Brunswick backline were standing up to the pressure by forcing errors and limiting goals. Another error in defence by West Brunswick got another on the board for Caulfield, from here it would be up to West Brunswick to respond. Some quick thinking from Caulfield saw them grab another goal quickly which would be enough to guarantee victory and for them to claim third place. 

Melbourne Uni were showing their best football early against St Marys, running hard and finding space to get the ball inside their forward line. It is the exact kind of football that has seen Melbourne Uni make their way to the top four this season. 

The clearances were going all Melbourne Uni’s way and the St Marys defence was being put under real pressure for the whole quarter. It was a good effort by the St Marys backline to limit the goals Melbourne Uni scored early on. St Marys gave their best effort to get the ball into their attacking fifty but Melbourne Uni were always close by to put pressure on the ball handler and cause a turnover. Melbourne Uni had all the answers and were keeping the ball locked in their half of the ground. 

The third quarter saw a slower game being played as St Marys tightened their defence early on, but it wasn’t enough to stop Melbourne Uni from staying out of their forward line. As the game went on Melbourne Uni continued their impressive display across the ground, they stayed strong in both attack and defence. The Melbourne Uni backline was so impressive they didn’t allow a single scoring shot for St Marys. It was an impressive victory for Melbourne Uni to end the season on. 

Kew were hot out the gates early taking advantage of a clearance and opening the scoring against Old Xaverians. The game continued to be hotly contested with both teams playing high pressure football for the whole first quarter. Both teams traded goals early on before Kew started to get the better run in attack and get themselves on a run. The result in the second quarter saw Kew take hold of the game and score four goals keeping Old Xaverians scoreless. This was the style of play that has seen Kew sitting at the top part of the ladder for the whole season. Their defensive wall was stopping any run from Old Xaverians in attack and causing turnovers across the middle of the ground. 

The third quarter was at a slower pace and more reserved attack for Kew but they did not slow down in their defence still holding back Old Xaverians enough to stop them from scoring. With a six goal lead heading into the last term the Kew defence needed to hold up for one last quarter to get victory. While the defence definitely held on in the last term to keep Old Xaverians away from goals and allowing now scoring shots. The attack also came out and added a few more goals to give the team a nice boost before the final siren. 

St Kevins got off to an uncharacteristically slow start in their game against Marcellin. Marcellin were keeping St Kevins accountable early and limiting their impact with the ball, keeping them away from goals, for a team that has been dangerous in front of goals this year it was a great start for Marcellin. For an even better start it would be Marcellin who would get the first goal of the match, keeping St Kevins scoreless for the first term. 

The game remained even for the second quarter as Marcellin continued to slow down St Kevins running game. It took until part way through the second quarter but St Kevins first goal would come from a remarkable shot at goal that got the whole team excited. St Kevins went on a run in attack for a few minutes after the goal, but Marcellin would hold off the attack and score again to go into halftime with a narrow two point lead. After the main break St Kevins came out looking faster and more determined than the second quarter, with only one loss this season they started playing like they didn’t want another in the last game of the year. 

They upped their pressure on Marcellin and the result was a three goal quarter that gave them a handy lead heading in the final term. There were some promising signs for Marcellin early, their defence had St Kevins struggling with possession. St Kevins started to stand up and after a tussle on the boundary line they continued to up their intensity. Their ball movement was strong, creating handball chains and using the middle of the ground to get to the goals. As they have done all season St Kevins kept their opponent goalless for three quarters and ended the season with a great win.