Division 1: Just a big hot mess

By William Balme – @balmey21

Football clubs, at a lower level at least, are tied together by one indisputable fact. Their love for the club. They come from a host of different backgrounds, hold varying world views, hail from different parts of Melbourne and make ends meet in different capacities. The reason I mention this, as many of you will be very aware by now, is in the murky aftermath of the abrupt end to the KewBulleen Templestowe game at Victoria Park. The incident was ugly and investigations are taking place this week to get to the bottom of something that Australian Rules football as a whole has attempted to eradicate. Kew and Bulleen Templestowe are clubs of great character and passion, but Saturday’s events have thrown both into a time warp of an past era. With controversy comes the horde of social commentary on the various applications that have become the bane of any criminal investigation. This is a time to remain circumspect and remember that we play under one competition banner, the Amateurs. Here’s hoping for a clean investigation, and an excellent finals series.

I’ll start with this fiery clash between the two old clubs. Kristian Cherbakof went down early with an injury but the Bullants fought on, laying down a fierce challenge to the 2nd place Bears. However, Bulleen entered the final term down by 5 goals with their future in Division 1 firmly on the line. An impassioned speech from coach Anthony Palmer challenged the squad to respond, however Kew had other ideas, with Droessler’s goal handing them an unassailable lead.

Old Geelong pummelled NOBS/St Pats, who has fallen into a giant slump after appearing a finals’ smoky as little as 3 weeks ago. Jack McMeel and Callum Wood combined, as they have so frequently done this year, to kick 9 goals. Hugh McKay was the pick of their mids, kicking 4 goals and providing strong link ups on the massive Como Park. NOBS/St Pats once again appreciated the excellent defensive work of Gerrard Bence, but they were comprehensively smashed across the rest of the ground. The loss has seen them dip into 8th spot, and they finish the season playing 7th placed Old Mentonians.

Ormond grabbed another win in their impeccable home and away season, beating Yarra Valley by 52 points in a game that also featured a couple of unsavoury incidents. Dead rubber games between top and bottom near the end of the season are generally fraught with danger, as frustration can boil over. With the game basically over by half time, there was little for Yarra Valley to claim from the game except for personal pride. Nick Pask and Will Elsworth fought hard for the home side, however it was quality and quantity that ruled as Coghlan and Sam Mason, as they always do, ran amuck through the midfield. Dimitri Fasoulis finished with 3 snags.

Old Mentonians secured their place in Division 1 for another season with a 55 point win over Whitefriars. It was a surprising result over a side that has freshened up significantly since the middle of the season, however with the season over, it is not uncommon for the resurgence to be flat lined. Dustan Mills was significant up forward, providing a strong target and kicking 4 goals. There was 37 shots on goal to 17 in Old Mentonians’ favour, a clear indication of their dominance. Michael Nitas kicked 3 for the visitors on a disappointing afternoon for the Friar boys.

Willie Bee’s Clive Waterhouse MOTR for Round 18

To end the H&A, this is chapter 1. Old Geelong takes on St Mary’s Salesian at Ferndale Park. What cards will be laid out for the other to see?

TIPS

NOBS/St Pats v Old Mentonians
Ormond v Prahran Assumption
St Mary’s Salesian v Old Geelong
Bulleen Templestowe v Yarra Valley
Whitefriars v Kew