Getting the whips cracking at Elsternwick

Mitch Dyer

The fifth round of Division 3 football did not disappoint with some electrifying matches played over the weekend with the underdogs putting up a good fight, but it was the top teams who came out on top.

The Wattle Park Animals put up a good fight, but in the end, the Hawthorn came out on top with a thrilling come-from-behind win. Wattle Park had all the momentum and were leading even with their inaccurate kicking.

But the Hawks managed to find their feet and their goal-kicking boots, scoring 5 goals in the final quarter to secure the win. It was a tough loss for the Animals, who only managed to score 4 behinds in the final quarter. Justin Raiti was the standout player for the Hawks, continuing to push his claims as one of the best in division three this season.

Swinburne University had a tough task ahead of them as they faced off against Canterbury, who have only lost one game this season.

Although Swinburne started strong and kept it close in the first quarter, Canterbury eventually got their act together and took control of the game. The Cobras ran away with it and Tom Lowden kept his spot atop the goal-kicking table for another week. Jayden Cutts also had a career-best game for the Cobras.

Power House is a team that I just want to see do well, but they had a tough game against the cream of the crop, Elsternwick.

It was a hard-fought battle, with Elsternwick pulling away early before Power House struck back in the second quarter to take a one-point lead at halftime. However, the premiership quarter belonged to Elsternwick, who piled on 5 goals to break the game open and secure the win. Matt Harvey was the star player for Elsternwick, putting together a handy game off the backline to steer his side to victory.

La Trobe University faced off against Richmond Central at the famous Kevin Bartlett Reserve, and it was a season-shaping victory for Richmond.

La Trobe got off to a good start but faltered in the second quarter, only managing to score 1 point. Richmond took advantage of their home ground and turned up the heat in the second half, eventually winning comfortably. With this win, Richmond now has 2 wins and 3 losses, while La Trobe only has one win on the season.