Nodders awaiting a challenger

By Christian Burgess – Premier C Scribe

It’s been an incredible season once again in Premier C. Each week, no team were guaranteed a victory and every side were made to earn their four points. It made for an exceptionally exciting finish to the home and away season before the finals action began. The finals lived up to all expectations, except one. Mazenod far exceeded my expectations and have become immediate favourites for the Premiership. They completely blew Caulfield out of the water, defeating them by 83 points.

Mazenod were not missing any opportunities this September, making an immediate impact from the first bounce. The Nodders on the day could only be described as, ON. They did not miss a beat, completely controlling the ball and playing on their own terms for the entirety of the four quarters. Caulfield missed their chance early to remain in the contest before the Nodders kicked away to a 23 point lead at quarter time. But this would be the closest the Fields got for the remainder of the day, thanks to another sensational performance by Robert Mann and well helped by Jaydyn Hill. The Fields were held goalless in the second term as the Nodders piled on another 3.5 to extend their lead beyond 40 points. The Fields scoring drought was broken in the third term as they managed another two goals bringing their game tally to 3.8 but it was the Nodders midfield dominance that proved too strong, feeding their forwards. Bradley Kovac, Rees Thomas and Thomas Cincotta kicked truly, captaliusing on the forward entries, finishing with three goals each, followed by six other goal kickers. It was a forgettable performance from the Fields who finished the game with 4.13 and an 83 point loss, and will now face the Pirates for a second chance at a Grand Final. The Nodders will now enjoy a weekend off, resting up and no doubt be in attendance at Trevor Barker Oval, examining their Premierships threats.

Peninsula were superb on Sunday as they ran out 26 point winners against Old Ivanhoe Grammarians at Box Hill City Oval. The Pirates were electric with their run and carry, constantly cutting open the Old Ivanhoe’s defence. The Pirates switched the ball at every opportunity and through the pace off their half backs and wings, were virtually unstoppable with their ball movement. Despite a dominant first term from the Pirates and the Hoes unable to kick out of their defensive 50, along with eight scoring shots to one, it was only a 17 point margin at quarter time. With the Hoes only managing two goals to half time, the Pirates felt somewhat safe with a 21 point lead at the main break, but the Hoes weren’t done with yet. Brilliant tap work from Dave Bruno gave midfielders Sean Everington and Michael Del Monte first touch and electrifying clearances to fight back from their deficit. Adrian Del Monte was clever up forward, setting up teammates when not kicking one of his four goals as the Hoes gave him most of the forward 50 to work with. Pirate captain Stu Grigg, kicked a crucial goal in the third term, to keep the Pirates in the lead. A correct decision was made after the siren by the umpires to not allow a goal to the Pirates during the third term break, leaving only a 6 point lead to the Pirates after the Hoes gallant fightback. With the last quarter determining next weekend or not, the game went up a notch. The Pirates simply out played the Hoes and looked to execute their style of movement far more efficiently in the final term, sticking to their structures and rarely panicking. Chris Johnson’s injuries and niggles seemed to get the better of him, sitting out the last 10mins of play, as the Hoes faced a tough comeback now a man down. The Pirates seemed to read the play better, getting numbers back for the Hoes kick down the line, switching play and giving their forwards superb entry. 26 points was the final siren margin, as the Pirates now face Caulfield at Trevor Barker Oval.

My tip – Peninsula Pirates to defeat Caulfield by 17 points.