Albert Park and St John’s get needed wins as Swinburne survive a scare

Billy Bolch

Round 13 didn’t offer too many surprises for the viewer yet rather gave us a glimpse of the remaining rounds to come. Things to pay attention to is the battle between the top 3 and who misses out on the double chance and the battle for 4th between Masala and Albert Park.

In the first match of round 13 in Division 4 Men’s, Box Hill North took on Albert Park in a match where a win for either team could be season-changing. The Falcons once again managed to get off to another strong start going 5 goals ahead, however inaccurate kicking prevented a bigger lead. The Demons won the second quarter kicking 3 goals to 1 but failed to take the lead as they went into the main break down by 19 points.

The third quarter saw the Falcons fly ahead kicking 5 goals whilst keeping the Demons goalless to extend their lead out to 47 points. Although the final quarter saw more even football it was the Falcons that were able to leave with a 50-point win, putting pressure on Masala for the final spot in the top 4 in the process.

The best for the Demons were Cameron Liston, Rowan Lawrence and Beau Parthenides. The best for the Falcons were Sam Lee, Christopher Marson and Matt Pihkanen. Beau Parthenides and Thomas Cheslett both kicked 2 goals for the Demons. Reece French-Lightfoot had a day out for the Falcons with 5 majors, other contributors included Alexander Evans (2) and Jack Lee (2).

Box Hill North will now look to rebound as they face a similar test in Masala. Albert Park will host St John’s who are playing some of their best football at the moment.

The second match of the round was a 3rd vs 4th clash as St John’s took on Masala in what was set to be a competitive match. The Tigers got off to a stronger start kicking with the wind which led to a 2-goal lead at the first break of the game. The JOCS however were able to rebound in the second responding with 4 goals whilst keeping Masala goalless to take a 12-point lead into halftime.

The third quarter saw an even 25 minutes as the JOCS were able to combat the wind to win the quarter kicking 3 goals to the Tigers’ 2. Heading into the 4th quarter down by 17, Masala would need to give it all they had kicking against the wind. In the end, however, it wasn’t meant to be as St John’s was able to add on 3 goals whilst once again keeping the Tigers goalless to finish the match with a 37-point win, securing their spot in the finals in the process.

Ethan Hope, Benjamin Ayache and Damien Wilsnach were amongst the best for St Johns whilst Masala’s best included Christian Samuel, Anthony Dorrington and Brandon Kelly. Rohan Scott (3), Nicolas Terrill (2) and Corey Ely (2) led the way in front of goals for the JOCs . Tiger Declan Fowler kicked 2 goals whilst Jake Dunkley, Amir Bou-Karroum, Anthony Dorrington and Shehan Rodrigo kicked a goal each for Masala.

St John’s will now face Albert Park who will be coming into the match hungry for a win. Masala will look to get back on the winners list as they take on an always-game Box Hill North outfit.

The final match of the round saw possibly one of the most unique scorelines this season as Eley Park took on Swinburne in what was set to be a comfortable game for the Razorbacks. The match started off with both teams only managing a goal but an extra 3 behinds saw Eley Park take a 3-point lead into the first break. The sequel was a repeat of the original as both teams only managed to add another goal but once again, extra behinds saw the Sharks extend their lead out to 5 points at halftime.

The third quarter was once again a slow 25 minutes as the Razorbacks were able to kick the only goal for the quarter taking a 2-point lead into the final quarter. The fourth quarter saw Swinburne swing the game dramatically kicking 7 goals in the final quarter to escape with a win with what turned out to be a comfortable 49-point win.

The best for the Sharks were Ben Field, Daniel O’Shea and Mackenzie Field whilst the best for Swinburne were Brent Hodson, Oliver Mitchell and Zachary Lassey. Eley Parks three goal kickers were Shannon Blewitt, Mackenzie Field and Martin Louey who all kicked a goal each. The leading goalkickers for the Razorbacks were Aidan Vesty, Nick Coad, Trent Ryan and Patrick Johnston who all slotted 2 goals each.

Eley Park will now face another tough challenge as they make the trip to face La Trobe. Swinburne will now have the bye before returning in round 15 to take on La Trobe.

La Trobe who had the bye will now take on Eley Park in what should be a win for the Trobers but anything is possible in division 4 footy.