Bulls Bullish, Bloods right at home in D3 Men’s

Sheridan Harris

Division 3 Men’s is heating up, which is nice given the weather seems to have finally decided to start cooling down. Round four was much of the same, though Emmaus St Leo’s suffered arguably their first upset loss of the season. 

Despite their bye, Elsternwick still sit on top of the ladder as the only team to be three from three, while Hawthorn have still yet to register their first win of the season.

There was quite an upset at Allard Park as North Brunswick took it up to Emmaus St Leo’s and came away with a 5-point win. The Bulls were in front early, limiting the away side to just one behind in the first quarter, before the Animals finally got the party started in the second, kicking five goals to take a 12-point buffer into the main break. The half-time celebrations were stifled by a North Brunswick outfit putting on a gutsy show to hold on at the final siren, much to the delight of the Bulls crowd that had congregated. It was the Hill-show for Emmaus St Leo’s as Matt and Dan (no relation) kicked two goals each, while Sam Barrah was named best-on. For the home side, Matthew David (3) was the only multiple goalscorer, while Kali Dawborn (1) took top honours. 

The year is going from bad to worse for Hawthorn, who travelled to Pitcher Park and were subsequently beaten by 44 points. The Hawks kept their noses in it all day but were unable to gain any momentum, with the Red Devils consistently piling on the pressure to stay ahead all day. There were nine individual goalkickers for the home side on the day, with Isaac Romano, Jack Hamilton, Jackson Hubbard and Lewis Balcombe all contributing two majors each, but it was Michael Romano who was best on. Charlie Lee (2) was Hawthorn’s only multiple goalscorer, and it was Samuel Quinlan (1) who was their best. 

A ten-goal first half set up a thumping win for Richmond Central, who left Kevin Bartlett Reserve 107-point winners against a Westbourne Grammarians side unable to take a trick. Despite the Warriors kicking two goals in the first term to be within a chance, the Snakes kicked away in the second quarter, adding five majors from 13 scoring shots to be up by 61 points at the main break. Jack Bilson kicked five for Richmond Central, while Justin Perillo (4), Jordan Miller (4), Tait Forster (2), and Stephen Dodd (2) all rode shotgun, with the latter named as best-on. For the away side, Benjamin Hodge kicked two goals to be his side’s best player, and Ali Eqbal (2) was the only other multiple goalscorer. 

South Melbourne Districts have added another win to their tally in 2022, beating Canterbury by 32 points at Canterbury Sportsground. It was all Bloods all day, kicking five goals in the first quarter to take a buffer into the break. Despite the ball spending some time in the Cobras’ forward 50, they were unable to capitalise as the away side ran away with it. Oliver Dufficy continued his goalkicking ways, getting on the board with five of his own while Leigh Sfetkidis (2) played a guest starring role, and Jack Cotton was named best on. For Canterbury, John Nicolopoulos kicked two goals to be his side’s only multiple goalscorer, and Josh Ward was their best. 

For the ladies luncheon weekend at Bennettswood Reserve, Emmaus St Leo’s will host a Westbourne Grammarians side intent on getting a win on the board. Round four was a rough one for the Animals and they’ll look to rebound quickly to get back on the winner’s list. 

Holmes Todd Oval is the destination for 1 v 2 this weekend, as Elsternwick and Parkside face each other for more than bragging rights. The Wickers are fresh off the bye and will be hoping to go unbeaten after five rounds, while a win for the Red Devils could see them take top spot on the ladder.

Two teams looking to continue their winning ways are South Melbourne Districts and North Brunswick, who will take each other on at Albert Park Oval 1. The Bulls come into the game still high on the adrenaline of an upset win in round four, while for the Bloods, it was business as usual against Canterbury. 

It’s snake v snake as Canterbury have their second home game in a row when they welcome Richmond Central to Canterbury Sportsground. The Cobras will be disappointed by their round four performance and look to bounce back quickly, while the Snakes are fresh off a thumping win. 

It’s Hawthorn’s turn for the bye this week, and it couldn’t be more timely. They’ll return for round six after what is sure to be a serious assessment of the season so far.