The Devils are Raising Hell in Division 2 Men’s

Chris Ciampoli

It’s safe to say it was the wind which had the most say in Round 10 with heavy casualties written all over the scoreboards.

Parkside put on a staggering performance in the thrilling top-four clash against Brunswick at Pitcher Park.

The first quarter had the wind in Brunswick’s favour, however both teams had attacking intent neck and neck. But for the remaining three quarters, Parkside put the foot down being first to the footy. Benjamin Radford (5 goals) played his classic brand putting much pressure on the Brunswick backline and has risen to first place on the competition goal kicking leaderboard (42 Goals). Jack Hamilton (3 goals) ripped up Pitcher Park as per usual with the help of Corey McKay (3 Goals). Matthew Holden and Steven Logozzo (1 Goal) worked hard in and under and applied much pressure around the footy. The final quarter saw Parkside put the game beyond doubt, with a 65 point victory over the top four team. The result shows the Devils are indeed the ones to beat this season.

Overall, Parkside seem to be soaring high, not only on the scoreboard but on the Division 2 ladder in convincing form. Round 11 sees them face their Division 3 grand final rivals South Melbourne Districts one more time after their round 3 victory to possibly put the nail in the coffin.

It was a tough day at the office in even tougher conditions, but Whitefriars pulled through with a 22-point victory over St Mary’s Salesian. The first half started evenly with both sides exchanging blows, the Friars established a small lead early, exploiting the chaos of the wind by getting the ball forward and locking the footy in the fifty. As inaccuracy was inevitable, it was up to the grit and determination of the backs and midfielders to provide as much opportunity for forwards as possible, and with Max Warrick’s leadership the Friars did just that. Effort and work rate was huge all day, Spencer Larson dominated in the ruck for the likes of Travis Baker and James Perrin to pick up the scraps. As per usual Daniel Wood (4 Goals) refused to allow the wind to affect his tally with the help of Marlon Simbolon (2 Goals) to place some goal kicking pressure up front. Whitefriars had a solid team performance with everyone showing up to contribute on the day.

The Old Yarra Cobras are back in venomous form after a 42-point victory over Bulleen Templestowe. A lacklustre start allowed the Bullants to get comfortable with a five-point lead by halftime. However, Cobra venom came through with new tactics and tougher footy. Elliot Brandon-Jones deservedly received his best on ground with an inspiring display, Chris Docker and Luke Stacker (3 Goals) had a chemistry like no other and linked up along the ground well, but it was Dave Tokatliyan’s (4 Goals) day setting off fireworks early in the third quarter which revved up the Cobras for the fourth. Although the first half was contentious, the second half was resolute, the Cobras player their brand and their brand only.

At Gary Smorgon Oval, it was a nail-biting first quarter between South Melbourne Districts and Old Paradians, but by the final siren it was the Swans with a 39-point lead. The Swans were convincing all day and tough defence and tactics allowed for much opportunity on the counter. Jason Clifford had a blinder of a game and worked well in tandem with Luke Johnson. Shaun Wilson ran his boots off while Jack Cotton (1 Goal) wore his jersey proud being first to the footy to allow opportunity for Jamie Brooker (3 Goals) and Sam Bradford (2 Goals) to convert their hard-earned work rate to the scoreboard. South Melbourne Districts are keeping a keen eye on that top spot, and they most definitely possess the roster to seize it for themselves.

Although Aquinas put in an inspirational effort as usual, it was MHSOB’s day at the Woodfull-Miller Oval. A tough start from the Unicorns as the wind impacted their goal kicking heavily kicking seven behinds in the first quarter, allowed Aquinas to set the tone. After a few shifts in tactics, the Unicorns found their line and it was game over. Nathan Volk (1 Goal) dominated the midfield and placed much pressure while on the attack. Bryce Dowling and Petro Pirozek (1 Goal) added their own flair to the game with the help of William Hellier and Charles Pearson. Overall, the Unicorns played well as a squad and are looking to sneak in as the underdogs for that top four position.