Beaumaris unbeaten in Premier B

By David Chalmers – DAChalmers81

Beaumaris continued their unbeaten start to the season with an impressive six-goal victory over St Bedes/Mentone. Fresh off their Anzac Day classic over Old Scotch, the Tigers started better, holding a two-goal lead at quarter time. The Sharks bounced back in the second term, kicking five goals to one and were never headed after this. The Sharks made five changes to their side for this clash and the inclusions had a big impact, with Daniel Gribbin kicking three goals in his first game for the season and Sam McBain and Joel Di Natale among the side’s best. The Sharks 5.5 second term was their best for the season so far, while the Tigers logged their lowest season totals for the second, third and fourth quarters. For the Tigers, Michael Barnes and Paul Wintle kicked two goals each while their leading goal-kicker Mitch Coen was held goalless. Beaumaris remains atop the perch at 4-0, while St Bedes/Mentone (2-2) find themselves fifth.

Old Scotch and Fitzroy both came off second best in their respective Anzac Day encounters. The Cardinals loss was their first of the season, while Fitzroy are still looking for their first win. Starting with 4.2, their best first quarter for the season, the Roys accuracy gave them a narrow lead at the first break but the Cardinals turned things around and went into half time on top. The home side then broke the game wide open with their best third quarter for the season, kicking six goals to two and finished off with four goals to one in the last, giving them a comfortable 47-point win and second spot on the ladder, ahead of Old Haileybury and Ajax. Both teams made five changes for this clash. For the Cardinals, inclusions Andrew Jelbart and Conor O’Beirne were influential in their first games for the season, while for the Roys Aiden Burke and Aidan Lambert were impressive in their season debuts and Daniel Bisetto and Tom Cheshire continued their excellent form.

Monash and Hampton faced off at Frearson Oval both searching for their first win of the 2016 season. The first term told the story of the match, with the scoreline five goals to five behinds in favour of the Blues and by half time the margin was out to ten goals. In the end, while it was a day to forget for the Rovers, it was a landmark day for the Blues. They posted season-high totals for each quarter and their 20-goal final score was the highest by any team in the first four rounds. Ben Whitford and Liam Darcy contributed goals in their first games of the season, while Charlie Rossetti, Nick Petering and Jake Meade continued their excellent early season form. Nathan Smith has been a standout for the Rovers in the early rounds. He kicked four goals against the Blues and leads the Premier B goalkicking with 14. Sam Bradford has scored in every game so far and contributed another two. The loss leaves the Rovers in ninth place still searching for their first victory of the season, while Monash (1-3) sit just above them in eighth.

Parkdale travelled to Princes Park in Caulfield to take on Old Haileybury. The two teams sat fourth and fifth on the ladder after three rounds, with just 0.8% separating them. In windy conditions, scoring was difficult and there were often long periods between goals. Little separated the teams in the first half but the home side used their wind advantage in the third to kick 5.7, their highest third quarter total for the season, and break away with a handy lead at the final change. If nothing else, the Vultures were consistent, kicking two goals in each quarter but it wasn’t enough as the Bloods piled on five last-quarter goals to run away with a 40-point win. For the winners, Jarrod Plymin continued his excellent early season form to once again feature among the best and Corey Connelly kicked five to take his season total to 13. Parkdale sorely missed the input of Kurt Lopo who kicked seven goals and was among the best in the Vultures first three games. They made five changes and inclusions Alex Derzekos and Dylan Glascott contributed three goals between them. Regular goalkickers Nathan Papatsanis and Nathan Peterson chipped in again and Jason Bristow continued to feature heavily. The win boosts Old Haileybury (3-1) to third, while Parkdale (2-2) slip to seventh.

Ajax and Old Brighton battled out ‘the close one’ in Round 4. The Jackas dominated the first term with double the number of scoring shots, opening up a handy lead. The Tonners fought back in the second term and got close, but their inaccuracy in front of goal (3.5) prevented them from taking a lead. Despite their early inaccuracy, the Tonners have kicked very straight in third quarters so far this year and were true to form, adding five straight goals to briefly take the lead. The Jackas weren’t to be outdone, adding 4.5 to take a 10-point lead into the final term, in which both teams kicked four goals, resulting in an 11 point victory to Ajax. Spearhead Jake Lew kicked three, supported by David Fayman, Dean Rotenberg and Adam Caplan. For the Tonners Harry Hill was again excellent, full forward Dan Anthony kicked three goals, while Jack Rutter (three goals) and Thomas Larkworthy were very good in their first games for the season. The Jackas have stormed into the top four with three wins in a row, while the Tonners (2-2) sit sixth.

In Round 5, Hampton and Fitzroy will face off with both teams looking for their first win of the season; Old Brighton will attempt to be the first team to inflict a loss on Beaumaris; St Bedes/Mentone host the in-form Ajax; Old Scotch travel to the Vultures Nest to take on Parkdale and Old Haileybury host Monash in the Premier C Grand Final replay.

Round 5 Tips
Hampton Rovers v Fitzroy
Old Brighton v Beaumaris
St Bedes/Mentone v Ajax
Parkdale v Old Scotch
Old Haileybury v Monash