Cobras fall to the Power of the House

Mitch op’t Hoog

The House have asserted their dominance on Division 3 defeating an in form Canterbury Cobras while UHS-VU loom large at the top of the table as the team to beat in 2017. At the other end of the table, it’s South Melbourne Districts and Richmond Central who are still searching for their first win of the season.

In what was pinned to be the match of the round, Power House ventured to the eastern suburbs to take on the in form Cobras. Despite having the home ground advantage, Canterbury struggled to keep up with House who put on a masterclass from the first bounce, taking a 35 point lead into quarter. From quarter time on, the House never gave an inch and ran out the game 48-point victors. The House’s dominance was built on the back of a 12-goal display from Nick Nagel, who impressively sits at 24 goals in three weeks and leads the AFL Vic Metro Goalkicking Leaderboard. For the losing team, Scott Fitzgerald put in a solid performance and led the charge for the Cobras. The undefeated House sit second on the ladder with a percentage of 156.95. The impressive win did come with some casualties for Power House who will be without their star recruit and senior assistant coach, Sam Confait, for a few weeks due to a shoulder injury.

Westbourne Grammarians got off to a strong start against La Trobe kicking away to a 15-point lead at quarter time. The Trobers managed to reduce the margin to 14 at the long break but were unable to make any significant inroads in the second term. In the second half it was as if a completely new team emerged from the Trobers change rooms and they managed to kick six second half goals to one to run away with a courageous 22-point victory over the Warriors. The Trobers were unstoppable in the last half, both defensively and offensively, and in the last quarter they managed to hold Westbourne completely scoreless. Some season defining performances from Mitch Gleeson (one) and Jonathon Neville (four) led the Trobers to take control of the game and record their second win for the year. Michael Culliver was a standout for the Warriors, who now sit 1-2 three matches into the season.

In search of their first win for the season, Point Cook took the long trip over the Westgate down to the Snake Pit to take on a dogged Richmond team who were also looking for their first victory in 2017. Unfortunately for the home side, the Bulldogs came to play and were able to register their first win for the season by 44 points. At three quarter time, the Bulldogs lead the Snakes by 20 points, leaving Richmond in with a chance to finish strong and snatch the victory. However, Point Cook galvanised for seven goals in the last term while allowing just three to the Snakes and laying any chance of a Snakes victory to rest. In a best-on-ground display for the Bulldogs, Andrew Robinson kicked six goals. Robinson was aptly supported by Andrew Auciello who kicked three of his own. For the winless snakes, Jake King continued his sensational form.

Out at Lindsay Hassett Oval, Albert Park took on the bottom of the ladder South Melbourne Districts. The first quarter was a tightly contested with just five points in it at quarter-time. However, from the second quarter onwards, Albert Park took control, kicking clear and then holding South Melbourne at arm’s length for the remainder of the match. South Melbourne made it two wins in three rounds as they ran out 31-point victors. It was 11 first-half goals that set up the win for the Falcons, with Benjamin May and Jack Welsh leading from the front. Jamie Vlahos was the top scorer for the Falcons slotting four goals, taking his season tally to seven goals. Luke Money (one) was judged best afield for the Swans in his second game for the year. After two losses of over 100 points in Round 1 and 2, the Swans can hold their heads high after an admirable performance after losing their head coach, Gary March, who resigned last week.

The team to beat at this early stage of the season is UHS-VU who continued their hot streak with a comprehensive 53-point triumph over Swinburne University at St James Park. At no stage of the game did Swinburne threaten to take the lead as the Vultures kicked 12 first half goals to two to put the game to bed early. To their credit, Swinburne did win the second half, however, the 54-point half-time deficit was too great to overcome. Gerard Sharrock slotted five for the undefeated Vultures and Benjamin Anderson was bestowed best afield honours. Ben Higgins played a lone hand for the Razorbacks as he kicked four of his side’s seven goals. On the back of their victory, the Vultures rise to the top of the Division 3 ladder with a percentage of 194.64.

This week’s games should see most of the home teams get a win in Division 3. La Trobe University should take care of their university rivals, Swinburne. I’m tipping Power House to continue their winning streak as they take on Point Cook who will be feeling confident after their first win of the season. At this stage of the season, it’s hard to fault UHS-VU and they should make light work of the winless Richmond Central. Westbourne Grammarians should bounce back and get a comfortable victory over South Melbourne Districts who will continue the search for their first win of the year. Lastly, the only away team I’m picking to win is Canterbury over Albert Park at Sportscover Arena.