Rivals Clash As We Get A Look At Chapter 1: Patience

Round 1 saw somewhat of a rival round in Division 4 Men’s as we got a little appetiser of what we could see this season. North Brunswick and Albert Park met in a clash of two teams who were seeking redemption.

Masala took on St Johns across all 4 seasons of Melbourne’s weather and Box Hill North vs Eley Park took part in a game where the winner would send a statement to the competition “We’re back”.

Round 1 began with North Brunswick taking on Albert Park in what was the first game back in division 4 for the Bulls. The first half was fairly even between both sides. The Bulls held a short lead over the Falcons at quarter time leading 16-8. The Bulls will then build on this lead a little bit more in the second quarter extending their lead to 12 points at the major break.

The second half saw the Bulls really take over the game. North Brunswick was able to add another 2 goals to their tally whilst managing to keep the Falcons goalless in the third, extending the lead once again to 27 points. The Bulls put on a very similar display in the final quarter as they kicked another 2 majors whilst keeping the Falcons scoreless to run out winners by 41 points in what will be positive signs for the Bulls.

Simon Woodward, Adam Tsardakis and Jake Horeood were among the best for the Bulls. The best for the Falcons included Alistair Lupo, Felix Metz and Jack Minton. Jareth Ombiga (North Brunswick) was the leading goal kicker on the day with 3 majors. Other players who managed to hit the scoreboard for the Bulls include Adrian Sipala and Jacob Cornejo. Goal kickers for the Falcons were Brett Tottenham, Grant Klein and Zachary Freeman.

North Brunswick will now host Masala in a battle between two undefeated sides in what should be a great matchup. Albert Park will now look to get their season back on track when they take on Box Hill North.

The second match of the round saw Masala face St John’s in what was an elimination final rematch from the 2022 season. The Tigers got out to a dream start kicking 6 goals to St Johns’ 2 to get out to a 27-point lead. The Tigers then were able to further build on this lead with a 4 goal to 0 second quarter. Masala was able to take control over an inaccurate opposition extending their lead out to 48 points going into the major break.

The third quarter saw Masala once again run the quarter with 7 scoring shots to 2, which allowed the Tigers to build their lead out to 63 points with 20 minutes left to play. Heading into the final quarter, coach Adam Lagerewskij encouraged the Tigers to continue putting the scoreboard pressure on and they did, adding on 5 goals in the final term whilst keeping the JOCs goalless. The Tigers left the game with a mammoth 97-point win, a major confidence boost for Masala.

Jake Dunkley, Luke Pipolo and Jordan Gibbon were amongst the best for the Tigers. The best for the JOCs included Cameron Cato, Jarrod Ely and Brendan Dash. Masalas’ goal-kicking was led by Sean Downes and Brandon Kelly (4 goals each). Luke Decarne (3 goals), Matt Decarne and Conor Galvin (2 goals each) were also major contributors. Michael Horton kicked 2 goals for the JOCS whilst the team’s other goal kicker was Matthew De Poilly.

Masala will now make the trip to North Brunswick to take on the Bulls in what will be a real test for the Tigers. St Johns will look to get their first win of the year on the board when they face Eley Park in enemy territory.

The round concluded with Box Hill North taking on Eley Park. The Demons were able to get off to one of their best starts and swing momentum in their favour immediately with a 4-goal first quarter whilst keeping the Sharks scoreless. The second quarter saw the Sharks able to slow the brakes on the Demons only allowing one goal whilst also managing to kick one goal of their own. This enabled the Sharks to hold the Demons to a 28-point lead with a half of football to play.

The Demons were then able to fully take control of the game with a dominant third quarter kicking 6 goals whilst keeping the Sharks goalless helping the Demons extend their lead to 64 points. The Sharks were however able to pause the run of Box Hill North in the final term only allowing 1 goal whilst kicking 1 of their own. This quarter however was not enough to stop a dominant Demons outfit who ran out winners by 69 points.

Jonathan Tommasoni was the divisions leading goal kicker of the round with 5 majors. David Edwards was the other multiple-goal kicker for the Demons with 2 snags. Goal kickers for the Sharks were Riley McCann and Zachary Ellis who kicked a goal each. The best players for the Demons were Kristian Smythe, Rowan Lawrence and Samuel Roberts. The best for the Sharks included Nicholas Whan, Andrew Yeo and Zachary Hayes.

Box Hill North will now look to continue their terrific round 1 form as they take on Albert Park, a side they struggled against last year. Eley Park will host St Johns and will look to get their first win on the board in 2023.