Half time in Premier B

By David Chalmers – @DAChalmers81

Well, we’ve reached ‘half time’ in the 2016 Premier B season. With daylight between the top three and the rest, all the interest centres around fourth spot with only a game and a half separating fourth to eighth positions. Here’s a club-by-club rundown of where everyone stands:

Beaumaris (1st, 8-0-1)
The Sharks won their eighth game for the season in Round 9 when they beat Ajax at home by 56 points. The Jackas were competitive in the first half but an eight-goal-to-two second half from the Sharks, thanks to four goals from Lachlan Boyd, ensured a comfortable win. Beaumaris have won their eight games by an average of 47 points, and look certain to win a place back up in William Buck Premier when the pointy end of the season arrives. Beaumaris have used 37 players so far this season and their 143 goals have come from 25 goalkickers. Stephen Milne is the competition’s leading goal kicker at the halfway mark with 30, and top players include Petering, Cathcart, Ward and Dickinson.

Old Scotch (2nd, 7-2)
The Cardinals got back on the winners list in Round 9 after their 51-point loss to top side Beaumaris  the previous week. Bottom side Hampton were next in line and the visiting Scotch dished out a belting, keeping the Rovers goalless until late in the third quarter and running away with a 95 point win. The Cardinals have barely been troubled this season, winning their seven games by an average of 58 points. They have used 31 players so far this season and their 143 goals have come from 24 goalkickers. Their leading goalkicker is Tim Macmillan with 21, and standouts so far include Bull, Gene Van den Broek, Perry and Franetic.  

St Bedes/Mentone (3rd, 7-2)
The Tigers won their seventh game for the season in Round 9, this time against Old Haileybury. After an even first term, the win was set up with a six-goals-to-one second quarter, enabling them to open up a handy lead and they held the Bloods at arm’s length for the rest of the game. The Tigers make up the trio of Premier B power sides this season, along with Beaumaris and Old Scotch, and certainly don’t appear to be negatively affected by the disappointment of last year. They had a couple of early losses and a couple of close games against Old Scotch and Parkdale, but have won their seven games by an average of 39 points. The Tigers have used 32 players so far this season and their 132 goals have come from 24 goalkickers. Their leading goalkicker is Michael Barnes with 19, and standouts so far include Barnes, James Tyquin, Mangoni and Simon Richards.

Fitzroy (4th, 4-4-1)
After an ordinary first four rounds which saw them languishing on the bottom of the ladder, Fitzroy have hauled themselves off the canvas and find themselves in the top four, with four wins and a draw (against ladder leaders Beaumaris) in the last five weeks. Their latest win was a start-to-finish victory over Parkdale. The Roys have used 38 players so far this season and their 104 goals have come from 26 goalkickers. Their leading goalkicker is Daniel Bisetto with 22, and standouts so far include Lambert, Kyroussis, Cheshire and Ligris.

Monash Blues (5th, 4-5)
After starting with three straight losses, Monash have recovered to win four of their last six and put themselves in contention as one of several teams battling for the fourth finals spot.  Their latest win was a come-from-behind win over Old Brighton, in which they trailed at three-quarter time but kicked four goals to none in the last term. The Blues have used 37 players so far this season and their 100 goals have come from 21 goalkickers. Their leading goalkickers are Nick Petering and Andre Headberry with 18, and standouts so far include Meade, Easson, Rosetti and Gillian.

Parkdale (6th, 4-5)
Parkdale players, coaches and fans are riding a rollercoaster this season, with the Vultures form guide basically reading ‘win, loss, win, loss’ for the first nine rounds. This inconsistency has meant that their ladder position has fluctuated between fourth and eighth, however if they can string some wins together they are still in contention for the fourth finals position. The Vultures have used 37 players so far this season and their 110 goals have come from 19 goalkickers. Their leading goalkicker is Charlie Dillon with 15 and standouts so far include Bristow, Edwards, Morgan and Lopo.

Ajax (7th, 4-5)
Ajax started the season promisingly with three wins from the first four games, but have lost four of the last five games to put them squarely in the middle of the pack, one of a number of teams fighting for the fourth finals position. In Round 9 they came up against Beaumaris and were in contention at half time, but conceded eight goals to two in the second half to go down by 56 points. The Jackas have used 32 players so far this season and their 93 goals have come from 20 goalkickers. Their leading goalkicker is David Fayman with 18, and standouts so far include Brad Caplan, Ludski, Measy and Steinberg.

Old Haileybury (8th, 3-6)
Old Haileybury’s form line reads very similarly to Ajax. They started the season with a bang, winning three of their first four games and this Premier B thing looked easy. However, the Bloods have lost their last five games and are on the slide. They are one of a number of teams still in contention for the fourth finals spot. In Round 9 they came up against the Tigers and after a competitive first quarter, conceded six goals to two, which led to a 45-point defeat. The Bloods have used 34 players so far this season and their 104 goals have come from 25 goalkickers. Their leading goalkicker is Corey Connelly with 13, and standouts so far include Plymin, Harrison, Nash and Witherow.

Old Brighton (9th, 2-7)
After winning two of their first three games, Old Brighton has now lost six in a row and will be battling to avoid relegation in the second half of the season. Their Round 10 clash against bottom side Hampton will be crucial in determining their possible season outcome. The Tonners led Monash at three-quarter time in Round 9, but ran out of steam and were overrun in the last quarter. They have used 39 players so far this season and their 101 goals have come from 23 goalkickers. Their leading goalkicker is Dan Anthony with 22, and standouts so far include Hill, Mariani, Trivett and Larkworthy.

Hampton (10th, 1-8)
The first half of the 2016 season has been a shocker for the Hampton Rovers, with the one bright spot being their Round 7 victory over Old Haileybury. The Rovers went into their Round 9 match against Old Scotch without Corp and Bradford, who have kicked 29 goals between them so far this season and proceeded to hit a new season low, finishing with two goals and a 95 point defeat. They have used 43 players so far this season and their 87 goals have come from 19 goalkickers. Their leading goalkicker is Nathan Smith with 26, and other standouts so far include Carnovale, Fletcher, Corp and Atkins

Round 10 Tips
AJAX vs. Fitzroy
Monash Blues vs. Beaumaris
Old Brighton vs. Hampton Rovers
Old Scotch vs. St Bedes/Mentone Tigers
Parkdale Vultures vs. Old Haileybury