Roys, CYs dominant & unbeaten in Premier C

Meg Saultry

Two teams remain undefeated after Round 4 of the Premier C competition, with Williamstown CYMS and Fitzroy FC the teams to beat.

Williamstown CYMS continue to dominate on the scoreboard this season, running out 50-point victors over Marcellin OC on Saturday afternoon. After four rounds, Williamstown now hold an impressive average winning margin of 57 points. It was a slow start for CY as Marcellin, playing on home soil, kicked straight (4.0) in the opening quarter to give the Eagles a four-point head start, before Williamstown eventually capitalised to lead by nine points at the main break. The visitors continued to stretch their lead throughout the second half in a dominant display, though with a third quarter conversion rate of 4.9, the final margin likely should have been more. CY’s Ben Deller had another imposing week in front of goal, kicking five for the victors. Ben and Jack Gray were handy with four and three majors respectively, while Nick Blackney was impressive. Joel Hogarth also excelled after returning to the seniors’ list from a two-week stay in reserves. Jeremiah Antypas was again one of Marcellin’s best, repeating his three-goal effort from last round. Williamstown’s strong percentage of 196 keeps them firmly on top of the ladder, while a loss means Marcellin OC drops down to fourth position. Heading into Round 5, Williamstown will return home to host Old Geelong at Fearon Park, as the Eagles will try to solidify its position in the top four with a win over Old Camberwell.

Fitzroy FC sustained its perfect start to the season with an exciting second half effort to secure a 44-point victory over Old Ivanhoe at Chelsworth Park. Pressure was rampant in the opening term as it took over 15 minutes for Old Ivanhoe to score the opening goal of the game. The Hoers got the faster start, using its speed and outside run to attack often, they lead by nine points at quarter time. The Hoers produced the first two goals of the second term (Sam Wilcox and Nick Reeves-Smyth) to take the lead out to 20 points, but three consecutive goals to Fitzroy switched the momentum towards the visitors, and a major from skipper Julian Turner minutes before half time gave Fitzroy a two point lead heading into the second half. Fitzroy returned much cleaner after the break, kicking five goals to zero in the third quarter to take the game away from Ivanhoe. Rory Angiolella was at his best in the middle, finding plenty of the football both on the inside and outside, and finished the game with a goal. Ted Clayton and Aidan Lambert top scored for the Roy’s with three goals each, while Michael Del Monte was the Hoers only multiple goal-scorer with two majors, both of which were kicked in the opening term.

Fitzroy FC remain second on the ladder, only below Williamstown CYMS on percentage, while the loss forces Old Ivanhoe down to seventh. Both teams will be on the road next round when Fitzroy FC plays St Mary’s Salesian at Ferndale Park, and Old Ivanhoe travel to face the Bombers at PEGS Sporting Fields.

St Mary Salesian secured its first win of the season with a commanding 42-point win over Peninsula at Ferndale Park. It was St Mary’s first win in Premier C, and the historic victory came off of dominant performances from Saints forwards Louis Holmes and Manny Dolan, each booting six goals for the winning side. After the duo also kicked the majority of its teams score last week, their impressive round four sprees now puts Holmes and Dolan in second and third place respectively in the league’s overall goal kicking tally.

The Saints looked dominant all day, with Charlie Angley among the best, as the team continued to extend its lead throughout the game, before matching the Pirates goal for goal in the last term to finish strong. Peninsula’s Sam Harrison kicked four goals for the visitors, while skipper Sam Glenn was unwavering as he tried to keep his side in the game. St Mary’s first win moves the club off the bottom of the ladder into ninth position, while Peninsula drops out from the top half, moving from fifth to sixth spot. St Mary’s will now face a big challenge when it hosts ‘in form’ Fitzroy FC at Ferndale Park next round, as Peninsula looks to get its second win when it hosts Old Mentonians.

Old Geelong had a lot to prove after its big loss to Fitzroy the previous round, but would be happy to escape with the 19-point win over Old Camberwell at Como Park. Off the back of an impressive win last week, Old Camberwell led for most of the day, taking a seven point lead into three quarter time. A five goal last quarter effort by Old Geelong snatched the win off the Wellers, who would have been left stewing a 0-7 final quarter conversion rate. Jock Grimshaw proved the difference for Geelong, booting five goals for the day, as Will Sloss and Matthew Bird added additional impressive performances to their seasons thus far. Nicholas Adamson was the dominant forward for the Wellers, kicking three majors, while Robert Deev, Cam Wilson, and Ben Hart battled hard for the visitors.

Old Geelong moves up to third on the ladder, four points ahead of fourth placed Marcellin OC, while a loss pushes Old Camberwell down to the bottom of the ladder with a lesser percentage. Next week Old Geelong will need to be at its best when it lines up against the undefeated Williamstown CYMS, as Old Camberwell host Marcellin OC.

In the tightest match of the round, PEGS Football Club produced a last minute four-point win over Old Mentonians at Keysborough Playing Fields. With scores level after the first break, the Bombers were able to gain a lead of five points heading into the last quarter, but struggled to dispose of the Panthers entirely by spraying multiple shots on goals, before securing the match winner. As the dominant target in the Bombers forward line, Adrian Romanyk was back to his best after a quiet few weeks, converting six majors. The haul now places the forward solely atop the competition’s lead goal tally with 17 majors in four rounds. Alongside Romanyk, David Fahey and Max Philpot were again the Bombers best. Alex Cross was the best for the Panthers, kicking four goals, while Sam D’Andrea backed up last week’s best on ground performance by snagging two goals. The win moves PEGS Football Club into fifth position with a 2-2 record, while Old Mentonians also move from ninth to eighth due to other results in Round 4. The Bombers will host Old Ivanhoe next round, as Old Mentonians travel to Peninsula to face the Pirates.