Cardinals Crazy Quarter sets up Highest-Scoring Round for the Year

David Chalmers @DAChalmers81

The siren has sounded for half time in the 2017 season and we have a wide-open and fascinating competition over the next couple of months. Old Brighton goes into the rooms on top and undefeated, though they have been pushed in recent weeks. To set us up for the second half of the year, Round 9 produced the highest-scoring round of the season so far, with 127 goals kicked, including a massive 15-goal quarter from Old Scotch.

After winning three out of four, Mazenod lost a couple in a row and were looking to regroup when they took on Old Carey. The Nodders made three changes, with Jacob Murdock out but they were well served by their inclusions, with Rees Thomas kicking two and Goy Lok bagging four in his first game for the season. The Panthers made five changes and their inclusions also contributed well, with James Gaff, Jarrod Reid and Luke Crozier all kicking goals and Cameron Wallace named second best on. The Nodders opened a 16-point lead and maintained their advantage at each of the breaks. Old Carey made a charge in the final term and got within a goal, but the Nodders left with the points, lifting them within a game of the top four.

Ajax had won three in a row, including a gritty win against St Bernards in Round 8, but would face a stern test against ladder-leaders Old Brighton. Both sides made four changes, with the Jackas losing Zac Fleisher, Josh Ludski and Kane Nissenbaum, but adding Brad Caplan and Dean Rotenberg back into the lineup. Old Brighton were without Premier B leading goalkicker Alex Mastromanno. The Jackas held the edge in the first half, with the Tonners inaccuracy (3.8) contributing to their first halftime deficit for the season. The home side fought back with four third-quarter goals to take the lead heading into the final term. Jake Lew got the Jackas off to the perfect start in the last but was answered by two goals from Michael Dewar, stretching the Tonners lead out to 14 halfway through the quarter. Lew struck again twice, reducing the margin to one, but late goals to Andrew Dewar and Tom Larkworthy got the Tonners over the line and helped them remain unbeaten at the halfway mark of the season for the first time in their history. Ajax (5-4) remain in the top four, one game ahead of Monash, Fitzroy and Mazenod.

Fitzroy welcomed Rory Angiolella and Aidan Lambert back in for their clash against Old Scotch, while the Cardinals lost important contributors Matthew Seed and Josh Tilley but gained Jono Daggian and Max Van den Broek came in for his first game of the season. The Roys beat Old Carey in Round 8 after losses to fellow finals contenders Mazenod and Monash, while Old Scotch were searching for their first win in three weeks following their draw against Old Brighton and three-point loss to St Bernards. The scores were all locked up at four goals each by halftime, giving no indication of the storm that was to come. In the third term, the Cardinals took the ball straight out of the middle and Max Van den Broek kicked the first. This was quickly followed by goals to Dylan Gilbert and Harry Larwill, before Nino Lazzaro steadied the ship for Fitzroy. Larwill scored again for the Cardinals, then the Roys quickly took it down the other end and Jack Dalton finished off nicely. The Scotchies proceeded to kick the next eleven goals in the space of 20 minutes, leaving the Brunswick Street oval crowd stunned. Van den Broek, Daggian, Gilbert and Cameron Melville all contributed to the mammoth score line. The Roys managed to regain their composure in the last, keeping the Cardinals to five goals and adding four themselves. Lazzaro kicked five and Tom Cheshire chipped in with three for the Roys, who remain one game outside the top four, while Old Scotch consolidated second place.

After winning just one of their first six games, the Parkdale Vultures put together two wins in a row and could have been considered the ‘form team’ in their clash with Monash. The Vultures were without Ryan O’Leary and Jarrod Peake but Jackson Boland returned with a couple of goals, while the Blues got good value from their additions, with Connor Ambler (one goal) in the best and Andrew Pitson booting four. The Vultures started better, taking a narrow advantage into quarter time then kicking the first 2.2 of the second term, with Matthew Boland getting on the board both times. The Blues hit back with a couple, including one from Pitson, before Boland pounced on an out-on-the-full free kick and dobbed one from the boundary. Joe Harrison and Andrew Young kicked majors either side of a couple of Vulture behinds, before Pitson took a mark on a lead and converted the set shot, sending the Blues into the main break in front. Seven goals to two in the second half gave Monash a comfortable victory and kept them within one game of the top four, while Parkdale slipped to eighth.

With just one win in the past month, St Bernards were looking to get back on the winners list against Peninsula, who were riding high after posting their first ever Premier B win in Round 8. The Pirates stayed in the contest in the first term, going into quarter time with a six-point margin. Chris Spinella missed an early chance in the second, but the Snowdogs retrieved the kick-in and Alex Singleton made no mistake. Alex Marshall got the Pirates first for the quarter soon after, before Adam Bentick roved a throw-in and snapped truly. St Bernards controlled the contest and goals from Spinella and Jack McNamara opened up a healthy lead, before Marshall got one back for the Pirates just before half time. Nine goals to three in the second half gave St Bernards a convincing win, and consolidated their position in the top four. Alex Wood kicked three for the Pirates, while Ben Southam and Sam Harrison were standouts.