X-Men on the board, Cobras announce themselves

Jason Bast – @Jason_Bast

The top of the ladder clash between Aquinas and North Brunswick didn’t disappoint as the Bulls kicked five straight goals to tear down the 12-point deficit and come away with a five-point victory. The win means North Brunswick will to move to a very comfortable position, sitting a game ahead of the rest of division at the top of the table. The Cobras announced themselves as a serious threat destroying the Eley Park Sharks by 80 points at Whitehorse Reserve. While the Rams won their second game in a row to breathe some life into their season after a disappointing Round 1. The X-Men managed to turn their luck around in Round 3 and record their first win for season 2017.

North Brunswick AFC 13.10-88 def Aquinas 13.5-83

A game too close to call saw top-of-the-ladder North Brunswick taking on undefeated Aquinas in a clash of the titans. It was set to be the match of the year, and it didn’t disappoint. The Bulls got away to a good start but couldn’t quite shake off Aquinas who, to their credit, kept the pressure up all day. The Bulls took a comfortable 13-point buffer into halftime after a strong two quarters. Bring on the third quarter and Aquinas came out firing kicking six goals to two and turning the table on North Brunswick. Going into the final term, it was the bloods who held a 12-point lead. The Bulls hit hard in the last quarter putting on five goals to the Bloods’ two and running out the game five-point winners. Adam Densten was great in his first game for the year, kicking 4 goals, while Jake George booted a further three for the Bulls. Patrick Mahon and Liam Whelan did their best for Aquinas combining for nine majors and Lachlan Barnes also contributed with a great all round performance.

Mt Lilydale OC 13.10-88 def Elsternwick 8.11-59

Mt Lilydale have notched up their second win in a row down at Mt Lilydale Mercy College beating Elsternwick by 29 points. A good first quarter had the Rams up by 10 points before kicking nine goals to six to finish comfortably over the Wickers. Mt Lilydale will be thrilled to move back up the ladder after a Round 1 performance that had everyone disappointed. Two players helping the Rams to this bounce back victory were Max Hampton and Stephen Donald who each kicked for goals on Saturday. Elsternwick now sit at the bottom of the ladder as the only team not to register four points so far in the season (Masala & Parkside having byes).

St Francis Xavier OC 12.12-84 def Masala FC 5.9-39

Both the X-men and the Tigers were battling it out for their first win of 2017 at Ryelands Drive Reserve. St Francis performer well all day and managed to get their first win in the VAFA senior sections in over two years. A 40 point to nine first quarter stamped the X-Men’s authority on the game and Masala just couldn’t get back into the match. St Francis had nine goal kickers for the day in a great team performance with Brenden O’Hara finishing best afield continuing his great form for 2017. For the Tigers Jack McLoughlin and Phillip Soloman both had solid performances.

Eley Park Sharks 7.7-49 def by Manningham Cobras AFC 19.15-129

The Cobras showed the rest of the division their potential to be a serious threat in 2017 with an 80-point demolition of the Eley Park Sharks at Whitehorse Reserve. It was a relatively even first quarter but the Cobras edged ahead and took a nine-point lead into the first break. Going on to kick seven goals to three in the second quarter, the Cobras extended their lead to 33 points at halftime. The second half is where it got ugly for the Sharks, Manningham scoring nine goals to two to close the game out. It was a great offensive display from the Cobras with seven multiple goal scorers. Chris Jolly lead the way with four majors while Nick Zappala was judged best on ground. Tim Miller gave everything he had for the Sharks on a very hard day for anyone wearing the blue and gold.

Preview

As we start to get into the season now, teams sitting atop the ladder will be aiming to break away early.  At the other end of the table, the winless teams still all be hungry for that first victory of 2017. Round 4 sees bottom placed Elsternwick take on the Eley Park Sharks, after the display we saw from the Sharks in Round 1 it could get ugly for the Wickers who will be bouncing back from a disappointing Round 3 performance. The winner between the Cobras and North Brunswick at Koonung Reserve could see a new team on top of the ladder. If Manningham can knock off the Bulls we could see the Bloods sit back on top with the 4 points from the bye in Round 4, however, that’s a big ‘if’. Mt Lilydale will be going for their third straight win as they come up against Parkside who are still chasing that first victory for the season. Masala will also be searching for their first win as they face the X-Men away.

Round tips in bold

Elsternwick vs Eley Park Sharks

Manningham AFC vs North Brunswick AFC

Mt Lilydale OC vs Masala FC

St Francis Xavier OC vs Parkside FC

Aquinas BYE