Tight start to Division 2 Men’s

Without question, Division 2 Men’s was the tightest of all sections in Round 1 with three of the games decided by 16 points or less and a biggest winning margin of 43 on the back of some very inaccurate kicking.

That less than gun barrel straight kicking came from Aquinas as they went down to Yarra Old Grammarians by 43 points. The Bushrangers led by just 18 at the final break but kicked away with four unanswered goals in the last quarter – three of those from Michael Scott. The Bloods had two more scoring shots than YOGs but struggled with the breeze and kicked 6.17 to 15.6. Rory Harbeck booted five alongside Scott’s four, while James Fleming was named best afield. Joshua Robertson played a lone hand up forward for Aquinas with four of their six goals.

Manningham Cobras and Bulleen Templestowe played out the other outlier of a match with the Cobras winning by 25 points. Once again, it was a final quarter charge that sealed the win as the Cobras kicked five straight goals after trailing by five points heading into the fourth term. Michael Muller booted three goals in a BOG performance for the Cobras while David Dakin was a standout for the Bullants.

Glen Eira held off MHSOB under lights at Packer Reserve, defeating the Unicorns by 16 points on Saturday night. Trailing by 17 points at quarter time, the Gryphons kicked seven goals to one in the second and third terms before the Unicorns mounted a minor comeback in the fourth. Francis D’Agostino and Jesse Maxfield starred for the Gryphons, while James Tran kicked three and found plenty of pill for the Unicorns.

Old Paradians kickstarted their Division 2 campaign in style with a 10-point victory over Power House at Ross Gregory Oval. The Raiders kicked four unanswered goals in the opening term and held on despite a valiant effort from Power House and recruit Tyren Montebruno who kicked five of his side’s eight goals. Adam Nolan and Greg Page were the best for the winning Raiders while captain Marcus Nolan continued his outstanding form from 2019.

The disappointing form of a few years ago is a thing of the past for Ivanhoe as they commenced their 2021 campaign with a thrilling two-point win over West Brunswick. In a low-scoring affair, the Magpies trailed by two goals at half time but managed five goals to three and slipped past their opponents in the final term. Ash Close top-scored with three majors for the Pies, while teammates Daniel Jones and James Course were named their best players. Michael Turnbull and Jake Meade led the way for the Westies.