PEGS made of the right ingredients

Brin Duggan – @BrinDuggan

In week 6 of Division 1, it appears there’s only one team left with the perfect ingredients to remain undefeated. With a pinch of Dane, a dash of Skurrie, a tablespoon of B. Jones, a splash of Cam Livori and healthy serving of Romanyk, PEGS served up a solid team performance and defeated St Mary’s to claim top spot as their very own. While we lick up the crumbs left on our hands, let’s look back on the particularly noteworthy Round 6 that left us with a clear-cut top five.

Sticking with our theme of food, Ormond worked the grill on Saturday and the heat was too hot for Whitefriars to handle. The Monders put the torch to the Friars from the get-go and, other than a fighting second quarter from the visitors, substantially increased their lead in each quarter to run out resounding 120-point victors. The overcooked Friars were burnt all day, but Angus Hands and Mark Richards were spared the flame while Michael Nitas continued his affluent goal-scoring season with three majors. For the victors, Matthew Hine was unstoppable with seven goals in an imposing performance while Thomas Buckley chimed in with five of his own to cap off a delicious day for the Monders. Six games in, Whitefriars are worryingly yet to crack their egg.

Brunswick ventured over to Ivanhoe and offered up a healthy serving of goals to leave Ivanhoe feeling a little under done. The Hoers kicked to the scoring end in the first quarter but weren’t able to get on top, leading by just six at quarter time. Where Ivanhoe missed out the NOBS capitalised, turning the deficit into a 27-point lead at the main break. The Hoers were once again left underwhelmed as inaccurate kicking robbed them of the chance to come back into the game. The NOBS took their chances and ended the game as 19-point victors, snapping their four game losing streak. Chris “The Falcon” Ford, Matt Shannon and Tom Campbell combined for 12 of Brunswick’s 19 goals, while Gerrard Bence stepped up in a best afield performance. It wasn’t all bad for the Hoes with Mitch Lovell lurching into gear with six snags and Bill Jackson being named best on for the losing side.

Christmas came early this year for Division 1 spectators as we were spoilt with a classy affair between the two undefeated sides, PEGS and SMS. The Saints entered the game with the wind in their sails, cruising out to a 34-point lead at quarter time. From there the wind died down and PEGS fired up their engines. 20 scoring shots and 12 goals snared PEGS 80 points after quarter time while their defence held the potent Saints to just 28 points over the same period, underscoring their 18-point victory and outright standing at the top of the ladder. Adrian Romanyk returned to form for the Bombers and snared four goals while Brad Jones thrived, kicking three goals and being named best on ground. SMS will be disappointed not to have carried their first quarter into the rest of the game but will be ecstatic with the contributions of Manny Dolan who booted four majors and the industrious ‘Uncle Tim’ Dudgeon who was named their BOG.

St Johns hosted a Cheese and Crackers day at Thomas Carroll and asked Oakleigh to contribute some Hors D’oeuvres. Not only did Oakleigh contribute, they brought their A-game, dusting off the fine china and serving up pure class. Inaccuracy belied the true difference between the sides with a somewhat meagre 22-point lead to Oakleigh at the half. From then on, Oakleigh accelerated and put through 13 goals in the second half to race to a 78-point victory. Positively for the JOCs, Aaron Thornton was prolific with five goals and Liam O’Connor continued his fine season. Oakleigh were recompensed for their high-class contributions through seven goals to Trevor Bromley and eight goals to Tim Scott, who has now booted 25 for the season.

Preston invited Therry to join them for some chocolate at W.R Ruthven Reserve; however, by quarter time the Bullants had just about finished the whole block and left very little for Therry to gorge on. At the first break, the Lions were held scoreless and the Bullants had raced out to a dominant 37-point quarter time lead. In the second quarter, Therry turned their day around and kicked eight goals to Preston’s four to get themselves back in the contest at the main break. In the second half, Preston turned it back around putting in a strong team performance, kicking eight goals to five to finish up 33-point winners. Despite the loss, Therry can hold their heads high as they outscored the highflying Bullants in the final three quarters. For the Lions, John Humphrey turned in a second consecutive BOG performance. For the Bullants, it was Christian Useinov in his third game for the year who was judged best on. Preston now sit third on the ladder at five and one after a tremendous team effort.

Next week we will feast on a number of enticing encounters such as the battle between Brunswick and Ormond. A dangerous match for Ormond awaits with the NOBS looking to string consecutive wins together. I’m tipping an upset with Brunswick winning at home. SMS will be desperate to bounce back against Ivanhoe and I expect them to do so emphatically. The game of the round has PEGS hosting Preston. Looking to continue their unbeaten run, PEGS will need to counter the exuberance of Preston and get on top early. After a big match last week, I’m tipping an upset against PEGS with Preston to win by less than a goal. Meanwhile, Oakleigh will welcome Therry Penola who will be looking to capitalise on the competitive effort they put forth last week. Oakleigh will be tested here but I still think they’ll get the W. In a potentially important match in terms of relegation, Whitefriars host St Johns. The two leakiest defences will want to turn their seasons around but I can’t see anyone from the Friars being able to stop Aaron Thornton with him proving the difference in a JOCs win.