St John’s start their campaign strong whilst the Razorbacks and La Trobe remain undefeated

Billy Bolch

Box Hill North was coming out of a tough loss to Eley Park and in round 2 they faced another tough opponent in La Trobe. La Trobe came out of the gate with one of the best quarters of the year as they kicked 9 goals in the first in addition to keeping Box Hill scoreless. The second quarter showed more of the same as La Trobe kicked another 5 goals to Box Hill’s 2. The second half was much better for Box Hill as they slowed their opposition’s momentum down, only allowing La Trobe 6 goals in the second half whilst they kicked 3. Ultimately it was La Trobe who ran out winners 135-35 after their dominant first half. For La Trobe, Bryce Dowler and Riley Alexander continued their round 1 form with 6 goals each whilst Tate Spiteri kicked 5. For Box Hill, Leon Desmond kicked 2 goals and Marcus Lorkin was judged best on field for the Demons for his 2 goals.

Box Hill will now face Albert Park in what is a crucial game for the Demons if they are to play finals footy in 2022. La Trobe will have the bye in round 3 before they face Albert Park after their two weeks off.

Swinburne played host to Masala in what was an exciting clash between the two sides. Whilst Masala was looking to rebound from a tough loss, Swinburne was looking to go 2-0 to start the season. For the majority of the game, Masala kept playing catch up as midfielders Tom Williamson and Anthony Dorrington sought to keep the Tigers in the game. The first half was however controlled by Swinburne in particular Nick Coad who kicked 4 goals in the second quarter alone. At three-quarter time, Swinburne led 85-61 and the stage was set for a huge final 30 minutes. Masala went on a roll kicking 6 of the first 7 goals of the final quarter and went up by a goal with about 10 minutes to go. After some back and forth Swinburne turned the tide and kicked the last four goals of the game to run away with the win. Razorback Nick Coad was judged best on ground with 7 goals whilst teammate Luke Mcmanus ended the game with 5 goals. For Masala, the scoring was shared with Declan Fowler and Anthony Dorrington both kicking 3 goals each and Zac Pahos, Cameron Young and Andrew Moore each kicking 2.

Swinburne will look to extend their winning streak as they face St Johns who are coming off the back of a good win against Eley Park. Masala will make the trip to Whitehorse Reserve as they face the Sharks in a must-win clash.

Eley Park was looking to continue their winning ways following their win over Box Hill North in round 1 whilst this was the first match St John’s played in the season following their round 1 bye. In perfect conditions, the game started evenly with there not being much of a difference in the first half as St John’s took a 42 to 34 lead against the Sharks as both teams went into the major break. Following half-time, St John’s took charge kicking 6 goals to 2 in the third quarter. In the final quarter, the Sharks slowed the momentum of the JOC’s, however not much could be done following the big 3rd quarter by the JOCS. In the end, St John’s ran out as winners 104 to 61. For Eley Park, Tom Johnston was the best on the ground after kicking 5 majors. Other important players for the Sharks included Mackenzie Field, Martin Louey and Ben Field. For St John’s, Jason Naffa had 4 majors and teammates Andrew Daly and Rohan Scott kicked 3 goals each. Others in the best for St John’s include Ethan Hope and Nicholas Terrill.

Eley Park will now take on Masala in what will be a key game for the Sharks if they are to go on to play finals this season. St John’s will now play Swinburne in what will be a tough game for the JOC’s.

Albert Park who had the bye will now take on Box Hill North at home in what will be a good test to see where the Falcons are at in 2022.