Animals evade Unicorns as Div 2 surprises

Jarryd McGuane – @JMcGuane

It was a week of surprises in Division 2, with Eltham Collegians and Emmaus St Leos taking down their more fancied opponents.

Yarra Old Grammarians saw their unbeaten run vanish at Eltham College, as the Collegians came away with a well-deserved 26-point victory. The Turtles had control from the first bounce, slotting four first quarter goals to the Bushrangers’ one to take a 16-point lead into quarter time. The floodgates opened in the second as Eltham Collegians kicked five for the quarter and Yarra Old Grammarians added four of their own as the Turtles extended their lead to 20 points at the main break. The flow of the game was maintained throughout the second half with Eltham Collegians four second half goals edging out the Bushrangers’ three to push the game beyond doubt. In his first game for the season, Jayden Shea lead the Turtles charge, while Michael Hargrave dominated the scoreboard with five goals. James Amos battled hard for the Bushrangers, with Nicholas Chamberlain kicking three goals for the third straight game to bring his 2017 tally to nine.

At Melbourne High School, Emmaus St Leos were able to hold off a fast finishing MHSOB side by the slimmest of margins in the tightest match of Round 3. The game was shaping for a close finish right from the get go, as the teams couldn’t be separated at the first break. The Animals tightened up defensively in the second quarter, holding the Unicorns to just three behinds. Emmaus managed to kick two goals of their own in the second and push the halftime margin out to 11 points. The deficit remained at 11 points after the third quarter before a tense final quarter saw the Unicorns slowly claw their way back into the contest. Half way through the final term, MHSOB tied up the score, but the cool heads of Emmaus St Leos responded almost immediately and extended the margin back out to two goals. The Unicorns kept charging, and were it not for inaccuracy, looked likely to snatch victory. The Unicorns kicked 1.5 in the closing stages of the final quarter and fell to the Animals by just one decisive point. For Emmaus, Chris Beluszar was a standout, adding four goals to his season tally, while Nathan Baranello put in a best on ground performance. Kane Smith kicked three for the Unicorns and Thomas Hickey was judged the best MHSOB player for the second week in a row.

West Brunswick travelled to Ted Ajani Reserve and maintained their undefeated run as they handed a seven-point defeat to Bulleen Templestowe for their first loss of the season. In what was a defensive battle, it was Bulleen Templestowe who led at quarter time by four points due to West Brunswick’s inaccuracy in front of goal. Despite their continued inaccuracy, the Westies got back in front and lead by three points at halftime. The momentum would remain with West Brunswick as the margin grew to 13 points on the back of a four goal to two third quarter. Bulleen Templestowe would win the last quarter but the Westies would do enough to keep the Bullants at bay and claim victory. West Brunswick’s Coby Millar continued his form to put in a BOG performance; with Bill Irving’s three goals provided much needed support up front. Kristian Cherbakof’s four goal performance for Bulleen Templestowe kept them in the game with Leith Wallis fighting valiantly until the final siren.

Glen Eira came up against Hawthorn in the 2016 Division 3 Grand Final replay and once again the Gryphons came out on top, claiming a comfortable 52-point victory. Hawthorn’s accuracy in the first quarter allowed them to take a two-point lead into the quarter time break. In the second quarter, the Gryphons awoke and slammed on 14 scoring shots to five to take a 23-point lead into halftime. The third quarter was a stalemate with the Hawks reducing the margin by just one point before breaking down defensively in the last quarter. Glen Eira would finish with six goals to two in the final quarter, and unfortunately for Hawthorn, that was all she wrote. Kye Cherian was the Gryphons best for the second time this season, while up forward Alex Erwin-Ross and Michael Fletcher kicked three goals each. Thomas Bowler was again Hawthorn’s most dominant forward, slotting home three goals. Bowler was supported by Justin Raiti, who slotted two goals of his own and put in a BOG performance for the losing team.

In the final game of the round, Prahran Assumption made sure that Old Paradians remained winless, with a convincing 41-point victory at Toorak Park. Old Paradians were the brighter of the two sides in the first quarter and got to the first break with a nine-point lead. Following the slow start, the rest of the game went the way of Prahran Assumption. A five goal to one second quarter and a three goal to one third quarter saw Prahran take a 31-point lead into three quarter time. The Raiders put four goals on the board in the final quarter but allowed five more Two Blues goals to complete their victory in style. Tom Freeman was Prahran Assumption’s best with Eric Kuret getting it done up forward with four goals. Michael Bellizia again led Old Paradians up forward, while Daniel Hennessy put in a mountain of work despite his team’s loss.

Round 4 opens with Bulleen Templestowe travelling to Doncaster Reserve to face Yarra Old Grammarians. Both sides are trying to avoid back-to-back losses and will come out hard, expect a tough first quarter. At Bennettswood Sports Ground, it’s a matchup between two of the Division’s most in form teams, Emmaus St Leos and Prahran Assumption. This should be match of the round in Division 2.  Eltham Collegians come fresh off their first win for the season to host Glen Eira who are on a winning streak of their own. Struggling sides Hawthorn and Old Paradians will face each other at Rathmines Road Reserve both hoping to open their account in 2017. While the final game of the round has top of the table West Brunswick return home to Ransford Oval to host the wounded Unicorns.

TIPS 

Yarra Old Grammarians vs Bulleen Templestowe

Emmaus St Leos vs Prahran Assumption

Eltham Collegians vs Glen Eira

Hawthorn vs Old Paradians

West Brunswick vs MHSOB