Upsets and Nail-Biting Conquests, It’s All On The Line

Chris Ciampoli

Ferndale Park saw a nail-biting conquest between St Mary’s Salesian and MHSOB; the tension in the air was palpable and the fans, on the edges of their seats. The Unicorns shot away with a 16-point lead by the end of the first quarter, which turned into game of catchup for the Saints. Joel Mattiske and Lachlan Russell put their body on the line in a game of hard fought footy with the help of Liam Moulday (3 goals) and Montgomery Herbert-Morgan (2 goals) who maintained the pressure. But as the game prolonged, even with a blinder of a game from Jack Elliston (5 goals) asserting his dominance all over the field, Unicorns pressure only increased. Mitchell Wilson and Julian Eimutis maintained the heavy pressure throughout all four quarters giving rise to opportunities for key forwards.

Matthew Pereira broke the tally sheet with 8 goals responding quickly to any attempt for a Saints lead. Neck and neck in the final minutes, the Unicorns snag the victory with a single point to further their winning streak to three games. The Unicorns have proven to be resilient under pressure and have bounced back from a lacklustre start to a fiery mid-season. At this rate the Unicorns are indeed ones to watch.

South Melbourne Districts have caused an upset at Whitefriars College in a mesmerising display of footy, flair and wit. Whitefriars stormed the pitch with their chins high, Matthew Dickinson shifted to another gear with the help of superstar Marlon Simbolon. Nathan Sambevski and Lewis Mitchell have once more proven their flair with the footy. But the Swans refused to allow the Friars to play their classic brand.

From the first siren to the last the Swans controlled the corridor and refused to allow space for Friars key forwards. To keep Daniel Wood to 3 goals is a masterful display of defence which speaks to the skill of Wood himself. Callum Wilson put on a commanding display with the help of Breshan Jones and Jess Mildenhall. The Friars faced a fair bit of adversity being two rotations down at halfway, through to the third which was capitalised by Swans forwards; Jamie Brooker, Leigh Sfetkidis and Sam Bradford with 3 goals each. Even in the face of adversity, the Friars continued to knuckle down, however it was the Swans who outperformed in round five and are sure to bring the same heat to Aquinas in round six.

Pitcher Park was home to another upset as Bulleen Templestowe snagged a five-point victory over Parkside. The Devils, famous for their quick footy and tough ball gets on the inside have put on a show for fans since round two with a three-game winning streak, however the Bullants had other ideas on game day. The underdogs put on an effortless display; Ashwyn Mohandas, Daniel Banister and Tomas Abbey kept the crowd speechless with their pressure. Hungry for the footy they gave rise to Jack Cowell (4 Goals) and Billy Wilson (3 Goals) who’s accuracy won them the four points by the final siren.

Brunswick bounce back! Aquinas are a team to never underestimate, the style, fitness, and determination of Bloods footy has only improved from last year and are always ones to leave fans wide eyed. From the get-go, it was neck and neck, Aquinas goal, Brunwsick goal, to be responded by Aquinas again. All four quarters saw a high pressure and high intensity display of ball hungry footy that didn’t slow down for a single minute. Harrison Flack put it all on the line, and with the help of Morrison-Story provided opportunity after opportunity to Harry Dwyer (4 Goals) and Daniel Mc Mahon (6 Goals) who refused to miss.

Brunswick had a few additions to develop their depth even further. Joey Gale played his first senior game and played his role down back exceptionally. Familiar faces Will McKenzie and Gus Ross stepped up to the plate putting on an outstanding performance once again. Hayden Parker rose to the occasion kicking three, not to mention Jonathon Haddad’s (2 Goals) drastic impact to all four quarters. A few structural changes and a couple of magnet moves in the last quarter gave a bit of spark to the squad, but it was a fairy-tale day for Jack Spencer who kicked the game winner to leave Brunwsick fans with their chins up and smiles wide.

Overall, Aquinas have put on another impressive display, but the indomitable Brunswick brand have stepped up to the challenge once again. Brunswick are going to leave nothing on the table against St Mary’s Salesian next week to rectify some wrongs in Division 1 a couple years ago.