The House power over Warriors, Falcons swoop for Round 1 victory

Power House came from behind to record a stunning Round 1 victory over reigning Division 4 champions Westbourne Grammarians at Ross Gregory Oval. Trailing by nine points at the main break, the House kicked seven goals to five in the second half and held off the Warriors by just 10 points. Tim Kenneally (one) starred for the House alongside River Carroll’s four goals. Dale Collins and Ali Eqbal kicked eight between them for the Warriors as they continued their hot form in front of goal from 2016.

Canterbury kick-started their 2017 campaign with a strong 11-point win over Richmond Central at Kevin Bartlett Reserve. The Cobras set up the victory in the first term with five goals to two and kept the Snakes at a reasonable length for the remainder of the match. Big man Scott Fitzgerald dominated all day for the Cobras while Mitchell Szabo kicked three. After playing just six games last year, Jake Munro returned with a bag of six for the Snakes.

14 scoring shots and a lead of 44 points at the first break set La Trobe University up for a barnstorming 123-point victory over South Melbourne Districts. The Swans made inroads with four goals to three in the second term but another nine to one in the third put the result beyond all doubt as the Trobers flexed their goal scoring muscle. Mitch Gleeson backed up his 76 goals from 2016 with a bag of five alongside Jonathon Neville (five). Harry Rothwell fought hard for the Swans to no avail as they struggled to contain the goal kicking prowess of the Trobers.

UHS-VU proved too strong for Point Cook in their Round 1 match-up at Saltwater Reserve, defeating the Bulldogs by 73 points in three quarters of action due to lightning. Despite the game being called off at three quarter time, the Vultures held the 2016 Division 4 grand finalists to just two goals while sending through 13 of their own. Nicholas Ingleton starred in a BOG performance for the Vultures and Mitch Sweeney kicked three.

It was a strong start to 2017 for Albert Park as they defeated Swinburne University by 24 points at Sportscover Arena. Despite going scoreless in the opening term, the Falcons 11 of the next 15 goals with Simon Hislop (three) and Jamie Vlahos (three) combining for six of them. Luke Childs (one) was adjudged best afield for the Falcons, while David Thwaites fought bravely in the ruck for the Razorbacks.