Swans, X-Men & Bulls remain perfect

Jake Morris

Another round of Division 4 football has come to a close, and once again South Melbourne Districts, St. Francis Xavier and North Brunswick all claimed emphatic victories to remain undefeated through three rounds. Parkside were able to continue their positive start to the year with a dominant win over Masala while the Rams from Mt Lilydale Old Collegians went into Elsternwick and picked up their first win of the year in an impressive siren-to-siren performance over the Wickers. It’s time for Round 4 in Division 4, let’s have a look at what to expect.

The undefeated North Brunswick Bulls will put their winning streak on the line again as they welcome Elsternwick to Allard Park this Saturday afternoon. Despite the travel time down the peninsula for their match against South Mornington, the Bulls stormed out of the gates, kicking eight of the first nine goals of the game to hold a 45-point lead at quarter time where they would never look back, running out convincing 67-point winners for their biggest win on the year. The loss of last weekend’s goal scoring hero Brendon George failed to hamper the Bulls as fellow forward target Michael Salloum kicked a bag of seven to push his goals total to 14, while Keary Mourelatos had a day out across the park, kicking two of his own and playing instrumental football in a best on ground performance. Elsternwick and Mt Lilydale were enduring a hard-fought, back and forth contest up until three-quarter time, where the Rams held a slim two-point lead heading into the final change, before a five-goal to three final term pushed Mt Lilydale ahead to a 17-point away victory. The omission of Kyle Van Der Pluym was telling down the stretch as the Wickers struggled to win the centre clearances in the final term. Julian Yeatman and Justin Harper were two of the shining lights up-forward for Elsternwick, kicking 10-goals between the two to help keep them within striking distance, while Lachie Lloyd can hold his head high with his performance. It will take a herculean effort for Elsternwick to get the victory, but look for the Bulls to remain undefeated and continue their run towards the flag.

After finishing on the bottom of the table last year, St Francis Xavier have come roaring out of the blocks with three straight emphatic victories by an average margin of just under 95-points per game, and sit comfortably on top of the Division Four ladder. Their opponents this weekend in Box Hill North have struggled to adapt to the Division 4 game pace after coming up from the XVIII (2) for this season, winners of just one of their first three games and sitting 7th on the table. The X-Men were once again outstanding in their 80-point drubbing of the Eley Park Sharks on the weekend, kicking 17 of the 21 goals after the first quarter break. Stephen Richards-Gill and Marcus Coe both booted five apiece, while Nathaniel Welsh was awarded best on ground honours and Daniel Chin continued his fantastic 2018 campaign. Despite their start to the year, the X-Men continue to struggle in-front of goal, converting on just under 47% of their shots on goal, something that if they improve on, could spell danger for the rest of the competition. For the Demons, first gamer Lachie Silby booted five and was one of the better performers on what was a dark day for his side, as they succumbed to the South Melbourne Districts by 58-points. Despite only trailing at quarter time by 10, the Bloods weight in numbers up-forward spelled doom for the Demons as they piled on 14 goals to seven after the first interval. St Francis Xavier to win, and win well.

The third and final undefeated team in Division 4 are the South Melbourne Districts who, after going winless for an entire season, have been able to string together their first three game winning streak since late 2016. Their opponent this weekend in the Masala Football Club have had a very rough start to the year, coming out on the wrong end of all three of their clashes by an average margin of 103-points. The Bloods simply outclassed Box Hill North in their 132 to 74 siren-to-siren performance on the weekend, having 11-different goal scorers including six who kicked multiple majors, it was a masterclass showing from one of the newest Division 4 inclusions that put the competition on notice. Aidan Rawlings had himself a day out, kicking five goals, while Jason Clifford booted two and was everywhere across the ground in a best on ground performance. Their opponents in Masala were handed a 113-point drubbing at the hands of Parkside at Fotheringham Reserve in a result that continues their unfortunate trend of losses to begin the season. Wayne McMahon was the Tigers standout while Brandon Kelly and Matt Decarne each kicked two majors in a forgettable day of football for the men from Masala. South Melbourne to run out convincing winners in this one.

Speaking of Parkside, their win over Masala gives them their second of the year and pushes them into 4th position on the table, and a percentage that matches the three undefeated sides in the comp. Mt Lilydale escaped Elsternwick in an outstanding 17 point win over the Wickers to register their first points on the year, one that could light the fire that starts their run towards another finals birth. Bags of six and five respectively to Isaac Romano and Sam Gilfedder, including a monstrous 40 scoring shots to 12, were more than enough to run out convincing 113-points and put them in finals contention for the first time since 2015. The Rams have started slowly in season 2018, but their win on the weekend over Elsternwick is one that they can use as a motivator to kick-start their season. Four majors from Daniel Perry, another strong outing from Aaron Potter and a BOG performance from Gordon Gosland helped push the Rams to a strong win. From three rounds of footy, it looks like the Rams will be battling with the likes of Parkside and Elsternwick for the all-important fourth and final spot in Finals football, meaning this matchup could be crucial come Round 18, and will be surely one to watch 2:00pm Saturday. It’s got the makings of a thriller, but look for Parkside to escape with the four points at home.

The fifth and final match of the round will feature the Eley Park Sharks and South Mornington, who will both be out for redemption after suffering tough losses on the weekend. The Sharks were outclassed from start to finish by St Francis Xavier in an 80-point hiding, while the Tigers welcomed North Brunswick to town and were comfortably taken care of in their biggest loss so far this season. After two solid outings against North Brunswick and Masala in Rounds one and two, the Sharks simply failed to contest with St Francis Xavier, conceding 40 scoring shots to their 20, and allowing their opponents to run rings around them for the better part of three quarters. Jesiah Mcgarvie and Josh Balon both continued their strong starts to the year, with Mcgarvie booting three of his sides’ seven majors, and Balon featuring once again amongst the best. South Mornington remain win-less, holding an average losing margin of 41-points per game, which has not been the start that coach Grant Ryan would’ve been hoping for. They would have fully expected a tough outing against Premiership hopefuls North Brunswick to occur, but to concede eight of the first nine goals of the match and trail substantially at quarter time on their home deck would have caused some early season soul-searching for the Tigers. Travis French was able to kick four of his sides’ eight majors on the day, while Jason Bland and Aaron Davidson can hold their heads high as they look towards round four. Should be a close contest that the Sharks will get a hold of and run out strong winners in.