Bloods and Wickers have made promotion look easy

Sheridan Harris

Division 3 Men’s finished their home and away season off in style, with the ladder unusually summing up the year in a way that only the footy gods could have made happen. The top four makes it clear the cream well and truly rose to the top, but to have the bottom four, bar the Westbourne Grammarians whose season absolutely did not go to plan, separated by only percentage surely has to be rare.

The battle for fifth was waged, and Emmaus St Leo’s came out on top, after a tough contest against Hawthorn, to jump from eighth position and avoid any chance of relegation, while Elsternwick’s win over North Brunswick saw them seal second spot.

With top two on the line, Elsternwick ended their home and away campaign as 77-point winners against North Brunswick at Holmes Todd Oval. Both teams were rueing missed opportunities early, but the Wickers kept their noses in front just, taking a lead of 16 points into the main break, before breaking the game open. The Bulls were unable to stem the tide as the home side kicked nine unanswered goals for the half, limiting their opponents to just three behinds. Andrew Ramzy and Archie Bissinella were the only goalscorers for North Brunswick, as Kali took top honours for the final time this year. For Elsternwick, as has been the way, Matt Ball (5) and Daniel did what they do best in front of goal, while Matt Harvey was best-on.

South Melbourne Districts have dismantled Canterbury by 31 points at Lindsay Hassett Oval to seal top spot on the ladder and be the minor premiers of Division 3 Men’s. The battle between first and second was every bit the arm-wrestle it should have been, at least for the first half, until the Bloods showed their class and expanded their two-point main-break lead to 37 by the start of the final term. Three goals each were kicked in the last quarter to keep the buffer alive for the home side. George Dixon (3) took top honours for South Melbourne Districts but Oliver Dufficy kicked five to be at the top of divisional goalkickers tally. For the Cobras, Jordan Dear (2) was the only multiple goalscorer, but James Boarotto, Cameron Marshall and Ryan Murray all got on the board, as did Nick Szabo, who topped the best players list.

One of the best rivalries in Division 3 Men’s boiled down to an 11-point win to Emmaus St Leo’s over Hawthorn at Rathmines Road Reserve, giving the former both bragging rights and fifth position on the ladder. The Hawks were out the blocks early as the Animals failed to register a major, before the away side came out firing in the second term to kick six goals and take a 6-point lead into the main break. The battle continued much the same way for the rest of the game, with Hawthorn whittling away the buffer but unable to get the lead back, ultimately falling short. Zac Kearns (4) was instrumental for Emmaus St Leo’s to be best on ground, as was Matt Hill (2), but all eyes were on club stalwart Chris Beluszar who kicked one goal in his final ever game. For the home side, William Meehan (3) and Darcy Johnston (2) kept them in, as did Xavier Bryham who took top honours.

A season to forget for the Westbourne Grammarians has ended with a 164-point loss to Parkside at Westbourne Grammar. The game itself went much like the Warriors’ season as the Red Devils jumped out of the gates to kick five goals in the first term, before piling on seven more in the second quarter to take a 68-point lead into the main break. With the game arguably already dead and buried, the away side kept peppering away at the goals, kicking a further fifteen majors to be able to ride the wave well into finals. Parkside had twelve individual goalkickers, with Lewis Balcombe (5), Matthew Holden (4), Matthew Soligo (3), Ian Romano (2), Samuel Gilfedder (2), and Adamo Gargano (2) getting on the board, but Simon Mackie’s three goals earned him best-on. For the home side, Justin Porter kicked their only goal and Brendan Donald was their best player.

Trevor Barker Oval is the destination for our first game of Division 3 Men’s finals for 2022 on Saturday, with South Melbourne Districts and Elsternwick deservedly taking both first and second on the ladder, after what has been an incredible season for both teams. This time last year, they were getting ready to battle it out in the Division 4 Men’s finals, but they’ve been the cream of the crop after being elevated, and will no doubt produce a worthy spectacle.

Sunday will see Canterbury take on Parkside at Piranha Park in Coburg. The Red Devils clearly peaked at the right time to pinch the coveted fourth spot on the ladder, but the Cobras have been one of the most consistent teams all year and it is no shock they finished third given their form. Before the 2021 season got cancelled, Parkside were preparing for finals, while Canterbury were rueing missed opportunities. With both teams at their best, they’re tough to beat.