St Kevin’s dominance over the competition continues after 108 point demolition

Kristin Sims

It was a hot start for Caulfield Grammarians, scoring within a minute when they came up against West Brunswick. A fast moving tight contest was what followed with both teams taking the ball end to end on many occasions but neither was able to punish either side for much of the game. Some slick ball movement in the second led to a breakthrough on the scoreboard for Caulfield and West Brunswick did all they could to keep themselves in the game. It was Caulfield again though who took advantage of the space they found to score again. A very impressive snap at goal saw West Brunswick score right before the main break. The pattern continued in the second half with West Brunswick scoring first in the third quarter which got the crowd involved and gave them the confidence they were looking for. They took a narrow lead into the final term and with both teams kicking a goal a piece in the final term, it was a thrilling 3 point victory for West Brunswick in the end.

The match between Kew and Melbourne Uni saw a matchup between third and fourth on the ladder. With Melbourne Uni making the most of their opportunities in the Premier Division it was a game that could easily go either way. Kew applied pressure to Melbourne Uni early on but scoring shots were few and far between for both sides. Kew were able to get ahead early on after a small lapse from the otherwise strong Melbourne Uni defence. Kew continued to keep ahead in a scrappy contest and held Melbourne Uni goalless until half time. Melbourne Uni scored early in the third to keep themselves in it but Kew backed it up to give themselves some breathing room. The effort from Melbourne Uni continued, it was Kew who were able to take advantage of turnovers to go into the last quarter with a comfortable lead. Kew continued to hold control of the play for the last quarter, despite Melbourne Uni’s best efforts leaving Kew to take second spot on the ladder.

Old Xaverians and Marcellin were up next and it was a very tight contest in the first with neither team able to get control of the contest. Both sides were applying strong pressure on the ball and forcing mistakes. It took until the second quarter to see the first goal and Marcellin was able to get another to take a minor lead into the main break. Old Xaverians certainly had their chances but were inaccurate in front of goal. In the second half Old Xaverians stepped it up a notch, they found some accuracy and kicked 2 goals to get themselves the lead. Marcellin followed soon after with a goal of their own to set up for another close finish. Marcellin looked like they were going to get on top taking strong marks and getting multiple inside 50’s but the defence of old Xaverians stood strong, and they were able to get the all important goal to seal a thrilling victory in the last few minutes.

St Mary’s Salesian and St Kevin’s faced off in a clash between top and bottom place on the ladder in a game that was always going to be a challenge for the bottom placed St Marys. St Kevin’s showed why they hold a commanding lead at the top of the ladder, coming out strong with a seven goal opening term where they kept St Mary’s scoreless. St Kevin’s controlled much of the play throughout the game, and kept the pressure on St Marys whenever they had the ball. Another strong quarter in front of goals saw another 5 goals for St Kevins to the 1 that St Mary’s were able to get on the board. The stronghold on the game continued for St Kevins throughout the rest of the match, holding St Marys to one more scoring shot for the rest of the game and showing the rest of the competition that they are a force to be reckoned with.