Aquinas back on track

Nick Armistead

La Trobe University at the bottom of the Division 3 ladder after eight rounds, falling to the third-placed Aquinas OC by 75 points at Aquinas College. Six goals to Benjamin Nucifora and a best-on-ground performance from Philip Jurkovsky led the way for Aquinas, with six first term goals setting up the comprehensive victory. Grant Dowler stood tall for La Trobe with two majors, but five team goals were never going to be enough to threaten Aquinas.

Albert Park broke their three-game losing streak and led from start to finish in their six-goal victory against the Eley Park Sharks at Whitehorse Reserve. Despite only leading by three points at the half, Albert Park were able to kick away on the back of five Ashley McNaughton goals, while the Sharks could only manage one goal and 12 behinds in that time. A much-needed win for Albert Park, they now enter the Bye Round with three wins and a distinct chance of playing finals.

UHS-VU has fallen agonisingly short of their fifth win for the season after losing to Glen Eira by six points at Packer Reserve. Held scoreless in the first quarter, Glen Eira was able to boot five in the second term to kick-start their match and lead by three points at the half-time break. UHS came out of the main break in strong fashion and led going into the final term before three last quarter goals saw Glen Eira come from behind and steal their second win for the season. Daniel Entwistle was the match-winner for Glen Eira with five goals. It is the first time in nearly four years Glen Eira has won two in a row.

A six goal to nil first term has helped Swinburne University defeat Power House by 23 points at St James Park. Despite fighting back in the final three quarters, the 41-point deficit at quarter-time proved too big of a margin for Power House. It was a crucial win for Swinburne as they sit fourth on the ladder with a slightly better percentage than Hawthorn and UHS-VU.

Emmaus St Leos showcased their dominance over the rest of the section when they ran out 48-point winners in their top of the table clash against West Brunswick at Ransford Oval. Four goals each to Christopher Beluszar and Daniel Hill helped the league-leaders run away with the win after trailing at quarter-time. Ryan Harding was the best for the victors, while Warwick Baker gave everything in his arsenal to try and keep West Brunswick’s winning streak alive.