Pirates stun Ogs, Hoers keep finals chance alive

Meg Saultry

Peninsula pulled off one of the most thrilling upsets of the season, beating Old Geelong by one point at Peninsula School in Round 15. Both sides failed to find any consistency across back-to-back quarters in a rollercoaster battle. The Pirates took control in the first term, before Old Geelong kicked seven goals in the second to take a lead of 23 into the main break. The Pirates responded with five unanswered goals of their own in the third quarter to get back in front by 11 heading into the last term, before the Ogs came back on the scoreboard but fell one agonising point short to give the Pirates their fourth win of the season. Ricky Plummer kicked three goals for the Pirates, while Jordan Pomeroy was judged BOG. Big Jock Grimshaw led the Ogs forward line and added three to his name, while Scott Dixon (2) was the Ogs best in his second senior game of the season. The Pirates remain in 9th after the win, but now have an opportunity to lift themselves out of the relegation zone, as they trail 8th only by percentage. Old Geelong remain in 3rd with three home and away games remaining and will return to Como Park next round to host St Mary’s Salesian, while Peninsula face PEGS Football Club.

Old Ivanhoe held off a fast finishing Old Camberwell to seal a 13-point victory in front of home support at Chelsworth Park. The Wellers kicked four unanswered goals in the final term, but it wasn’t enough to trump the 40-point lead the Hoers had built over the opening three terms. Dylan Buttifant finished with three majors for the winning side, while Michael Del Monte also starred. Nicholas Adamson was the Wellers’ only multiple goal scorer with two majors, while Ben Hart was at his formidable best and slotted one of his teams’ fighting final quarter goals. With finals on the horizon, the Hoers now sit in 5th, two wins behind Old Camberwell in 4th, though both clubs will come up against tough opponents next round. The Hoers will play Fitzroy FC, as Old Camberwell host Williamstown CYMS.

Marcellin OC took no prisoners in their match-up against St Mary’s Salesian, beating the bottom placed side by 152 points at Ferndale Park. The Eagles first quarter dominance said it all after the visitors kicked nine goals to two to be up by 40 points at the first break. But it was their second half that also impressed, with the Eagles piling on 17 goals across the final two quarters, while the Saints could only manage 2.3. Marcellin’s Andrew Kay was the star of the day with an incredible 11 majors, Daniel McMahon did more than his part with six to his name, while Sebastian Beale backed up his performance last week with another great outing. While not the result the Saints would have wanted, it was a celebration none the less with Henry Wong and Saints skipper Heath Chipperfield both notching up their 150th game. Chipperfield, alongside Nicholas Baxter, kicked two goals each for the side, while Joel Mattiske also impressed.  The Saints remain at the bottom of the table after the loss and face Old Geelong next round, while Marcellin OC sit two wins outside the top four in 6th and match up against the Panthers next round.

Second-placed Fitzroy FC were again too good for their opponents, beating Old Mentonians by 72 points at Keysborough Playing Field. The Panthers got the jump early, and sat 12 points in front of Fitzroy at the first break, but inaccurate kicking meant they failed to capitalise any further. The Roys switched on in the second quarter and slotted seven goals for the term to reverse the lead, then kicked a further seven unanswered goals in final quarter to cement their match winning score. Rory Angiolella, Sam Baker and Nathan Ligris were all influential on the scoreboard, kicking three goals each, while Andrew Pettigrove was best afield for the Roys. Darcy Brown and Robert Tunbridge finished with two majors as well, though for the Panthers, while Billy Chapman also impressed. The Roys remain in 2nd and will play Old Ivanhoe at Brunswick St Oval in Round 16, while the Panthers, in 8th, will need to hold their spot above the Pirates (9th) if they are to avoid the relegation zone. They face Marcellin OC next round.

Williamstown CYMS proved too strong for PEGS Football Club at PEGS Sporting Fields, defeating the home side by 74 points on Saturday. CY kicked 10 first half goals to build a lead of 49 by half time, before they again dominated to extend the margin further across the remainder of the game. Sam Callard was BOG with his three goals, while Nicholas Ebinger (5) kicked his sides biggest haul. With the Bombers missing key players in Adrian Romanyk, Max Philpot and David Fahey, the team struggled to fire, but it was Jackson Marr who stood up for the team with a great performance. Williamstown CYMS continue to lead the competition at the top of the ladder, while the Bombers (7th) sit in a group of three clubs who trail the top four by two wins. CY will play fellow top four side, Old Camberwell, next round, while PEGS have a chance to keep themselves in finals contention against Peninsula next weekend.