Wickers continue streak, Hawthorn on the board again

Sheridan Harris

Melbourne absolutely proved that footy is a winter sport on Saturday, gifting us nothing but misting rain and cold wind to make sure we were committed enough to sit through whole matches of the game we love so much.

With almost no VAFA footy next weekend due to the Queen’s Birthday bye, Division 3 Men’s made sure we were all well and truly satiated with enough antics to tide us over until round ten.

There’s not much else to say about Elsternwick, who have continued their unbeaten form after somewhat of a scare, while things have gone from bad to worse for the Westbourne Grammarians despite a valiant effort on the weekend.

It was a stressful time at Bennettswood Reserve for both teams and their cohorts, with much on the line as Elsternwick ran away six-point winners against Emmaus St Leo’s. The arm wrestle was there all game and the lead never straying too far for the Animals, who ultimately couldn’t get on top despite a late fourth-quarter rally. Matt Hill (2), Dan Hill (2), Jonathan Greensides (2), and Nathan Bird (2) were the only multiple-goalscorers, with the latter celebrating his 50^th game for the club, while Zac Kearns was named best-on. For the away side, Julian Yeatman kicked three goals and Nicholas Lowrie two, while Matt Ball (2) topped the best players list.

Not even seven individual goalkickers could get Parkside over the line at Pitcher Park as South Melbourne Districts left the ground seven-point winners. The Bloods held the upper hand for the better part of the day, limiting the Red Devils to just two behinds in the third term, before the home side gave their opponents a bit of a scare. Jamie Brooker (4), Oliver Dufficy (3), and Jason Clifford (2) kicked most of South Melbourne Districts’ majors, with the former taking top honours. For the home side, Matthew Holden kicked three goals but it was Jack Hamilton (1) who was best-on.

Hawthorn have beaten North Brunswick at Allard Park by 36 points, jumping out of the gates to kick six goals in the first quarter. They’d be their only goals for the half, with the Bulls limiting the Hawks to no score, before the script was flipped, and the home side were denied any scoring shots in the third term. Some missed opportunities from North Brunswick in the final quarter meant the Hawthorn ran away with it as Justin Raiti and Luke Piccolo both kicked three each for the whole game, and Cooper Rule snagged two. Eamonn Avery was best-on. The home side’s four goalkickers were Sam Willatt (2), Dylan Ross (1), and Jake Horwood (1), with the latter his team’s best.

Eleven goals straight were kicked in the first term at Westbourne Grammar, where Canterbury ultimately ran away 152-point winners against the Westbourne Grammarians. The Warriors, to their credit, were competitive and scored four in the first quarter, but it was a Cobras onslaught from beginning to end, with 16 goals kicked in the second half, after 13 in the first. Positively, the home side had five individual goalscorers, with Benjamin Johnson kicking two, but it was Benjamin of the Hodge variety who was named best-on. Canterbury had nine goalkickers, with Thomas Lowden’s eight goals earning him top honours, but riding shotgun were Ryan Murray (6), Jordan Dear (4), Nicholas Szabo (3), James Boarotto (3), and Rohan Walmsley (2).

When footy returns, it’s a battle of 3 v 4, with Emmaus St Leo’s travelling to Canterbury Sportsground to take on a Canterbury side on the warpath. The Animals will be spending the break rueing a missed opportunity, while the Cobras will be riding the adrenaline of their thrashing round nine win.

Familiar foes in South Melbourne Districts and Elsternwick will once again take the field, and Lindsay Hassett Oval is the destination for what is arguably the match of Division 3 Men’s so far in 2022. The Wickers are already 1-0 up on wins this year, which no doubt fuels the fire in the bellies of the Bloods.

While it could be considered that both teams have had falls from grace this year, the battle between Parkside and Hawthorn will still be fierce at Rathmines Road Reserve. The Red Devils will go into the match looking to get back on the winner’s list, while round nine was a positive one for the Hawks after getting their second win of the season.

Richmond Central will welcome North Brunswick to Kevin Bartlett Reserve as both teams look to start knocking on the door that is the top four. The Bulls suffered a loss in round nine and will want to remedy that, while the Snakes have had two weeks off to assess their season and start to make some moves.

For the Westbourne Grammarians, they get their second bye of the year, meaning they get two weeks off to ready themselves for a strong attack to the second half of the season.