Richmond toast of the town as Bloods & Wickers set the benchmark

Sheridan Harris

Winter might well and truly be here, but it didn’t stop the sun from shining on Saturday for Division 3 Men’s.

Elsternwick and South Melbourne Districts still both seem like unstoppable forces after getting 100+ scores on the board in their wins, while finals for last year’s Division 3 Men’s top 2 is looking increasingly less likely seven rounds into the season. 

A six-goal final quarter has seen Richmond Central overrun Hawthorn at Rathmines Road Reserve by 11 points. Despite taking the lead into every break, the Hawks were seemingly unable to stem the tide as the Snakes’ late rally got them the four points. The scores were on the board early for both sides before five goals in the second quarter gave Hawthorn an extra edge. But it wasn’t to be for the home side, as even two five-goal hauls from Justin Raiti and Jack Kenny couldn’t save them, with the latter name his team’s best. Dane Roy put on a six-goal masterclass for Richmond Central to take top honours, and Jordan Miller (2) provided some support in the forward line, to be two of ten individual goal kickers. 

Parkside were in all sorts at Pitcher Park, going down to Canterbury by 64 points after failing to register a goal until the final term. Scoring appeared hard to come by in the first quarter, before the Cobras kicked four goals in the second to take a 31-point lead into the main break. Eight majors to zero all but sealed the deal for the away side, and not even a late rally could help the Red Devils. Thomas Lowden (5), Nicholas Szabo (2), Ryan Murray, and John Nicolopoulos (2) were Canterbury’s stars in front of goal, but it was Cameron Marshall who was named best on. For Parkside, Darcy Vickers, Shane Doherty, Jackson Hubbard, and Matthew Holden were the only goal kickers, but it was the latter who took top honours. 

South Melbourne Districts’ eleven individual goal kickers were too much for the Westbourne Grammarians, whose trek to Harry Trott Oval saw them leave 160-point losers. The Warriors were kept scoreless for the entire second half, while the 80-point buffer that the Bloods took into half-time literally doubled by the final siren. South Melbourne Districts’ Oliver Dufficy (8) has taken a rather large lead on the divisional goal kicking tally, while Jamie Brooker (3), Leigh Sfetkidis (2), Matthew Morrison (2), Samuel McGinn (2), Brendan Dufficy (2), and Hayden Portelli (2) all got in on the multiple-goal kicking party. 

It was an unfortunate crash landing for North Brunswick, who returned from their bye to welcome Elsternwick to Allard Park, and were subsequently beaten by 87 points. The Wickers got on the board early and never let the Bulls back in, with the margin up to 42 points by the main break. With the game all but done, the away side kept their foot on the accelerator to kick six final-term goals. Nicholas Lowrie (5), David Convery (5), Dylan Jones (3), and Julian Yeatman (2) were only five of the nine individual goal kickers on the day, with the former unsurprisingly topping the best on list. For North Brunswick, Aydan Marriner kicked two goals, but it was Luke Russell who played the best. 

The year so far has been a rollercoaster for Parkside, and it looks to only get bumpier as they head to Kevin Bartlett Reserve to face Richmond Central. The Snakes are likely to still be riding the high of their come-from-behind win in round seven, while the Red Devils will look to get back on the winner’s list. 

Hawthorn will face their biggest challenge of the season yet, when they take to Holmes Todd Oval against Elsternwick. The Wickers are playing the year of their lives and yet to lose, while the Hawks continue to search for their second win of 2022. 

It’s a journey across the city for North Brunswick this weekend as the travel to Westbourne Grammar to face a luckless Westbourne Grammarians side. The Warriors are yet to register their first win of the season, while the Bulls will look to rebound after a pretty hefty loss in round seven. 

A huge test awaits Emmaus St Leo’s, with Lindsay Hassett Oval their destination for what will probably be the game of the round against South Melbourne Districts. The Animals return from their bye, but the Bloods come into the game after thumping win against the Westbourne Grammarians. 

Canterbury go into their bye in good form after a fantastic round seven win.