Upsets and dominance, the themes of the round

Billy Bolch

The first match of the round saw Masala take on Albert Park in an important game for both teams’ seasons with a win for Masala keeping them ahead of the chasing pack whilst a win for the Falcons would take them into the top 4. The first quarter saw Albert Park do what Albert Park does best as they got off to a terrific start against the Tigers. The Falcons were able to kick away early with a 6-goal first quarter to take a 23-point lead into quarter time. The second quarter saw Falcons further extend their lead as Masala’s inaccuracy cost them closing the distance as Albert Park held a 32-point lead with a half of football to play.

The third quarter saw the Tigers begin to find their way with a 3-goal quarter, however, the Falcons were able to kick 4 of their own to further extend their lead to 40 points with a final quarter of football to play. The final quarter saw Masala very quickly swing the game in their favour adding goal after goal after goal after goal to almost halve the margin, however, it was too little too late as the Falcons were able to apply the pressure and enter lockdown mode for the final 5 minutes to leave with a 16-point victory.

Masala’s goalkickers were headed up by Luke Decarne with 3 majors with other multiple goalkickers including Zac Pahos (2) and Luke Broomhall (2). Multiple goal scorers for the Falcons included Sam Lee (3), Christopher Marson (2), Reece French-Lightfoot (2), Alistair Lupo (2) and Benjamin Wood (2). In the best for Masala were Flynn Cassar, Jordan Gibbon and Deakin Harris. In the best for the Falcons were Hunter Harding, Paul Hutchins and Sam Lee. Masala, desperate for a win now faces Box Hill North (away) in what is going to be another challenge for the Tigers. Having won 5 of their last 6, the Falcons will return home and look to continue their winning ways as they face Eley Park.

The second match of the round saw St Johns take on Box Hill North in another match that would give us great insight for the last few rounds of the season. St Johns coming in as the underdogs had the best start possible with a 6-goal to 2 quarter taking a 21-point lead into the second quarter. The second quarter saw the Demons make their way back into the game with a 4-goal quarter to reduce the JOCs lead down to 8 points.

The third quarter saw both teams put their foot on the accelerator with a 7-goal quarter (4 for the JOCs and 3 for the Demons) but with that one-goal advantage, the JOCs were able to slightly extend their lead out to 12 points. The final quarter saw another tight contest between the two sides with a very competitive quarter. The JOCs however were able to hold off the late charge of the Demons and with the JOCs attaining 1 more goal than the Demons, the JOCs were able to provide one of the upsets of the season with an 18-point victory.

The JOCs had 3 major goal scorers hit the scoreboard in Mitchell Clarke (5), Liam Salisbury (4) and Kailum Newland (4). For the Demons Jack Dullard led the charge with 3 goals. Other multiple goal scorers for the Demons were Joshua Chivers (2) and Thomas Rickard (2). In the best for the JOCs were Corey Ely, Mitchell Clarke and Daniel Cattolico. In the best for the Demons were Rowan Lawrence, Jack Dullard and Thomas Rickard. St Johns will look to continue their ways as they face the next challenge in top side North Brunswick. The Demons will look to rebound quickly as they play host to the struggling Masala.

The final match of the round saw opposite ends of the ladder face off as the bottom of the ladder Eley Park had the mammoth obstacle of the divisions’ leader North Brunswick. The first quarter saw the Bulls get off to a winning start with a 4-goal to 1 quarter to take a 24-point lead into the second quarter. The second quarter saw the Bulls stomp their foot on the accelerator as they were able to pile on 8 goals whilst keeping the Sharks scoreless to extend their lead out to 77 points making a very tough ask for a Sharks comeback.

The third quarter was another one that was won by the Bulls however the Sharks showed great defense throughout, keeping the Bulls to 4 goals. A 111-point lead at 3 quarter time for the Bulls clearly wasn’t enough as in their final quarter they led an absolute rampage on the scoreboard with a 12-goal quarter (one of the best quarters this season) to take their lead all the way out to 181 points in the divisions biggest win of the season that included 49 scoring shots for the game.

Tom Johnston was Mr Reliable in front of goals for the Sharks kicking 2 goals. The Bulls had 14 individual goal scorers with Gabriel Carrubba (4), James Miralles Lombardo (3), Jake Horwood (3) and Luke Rositani (3) leading the charge. In the best for the Sharks were Zachary Hayes, Andrew Yeo and Shannon Blewitt. In the best for the Bulls were Simon Woodward, Spencer Zahra and Zac Dicianni. The Sharks will now face arguably the team’s most in-form side as they make the trip away to face Albert Park. The Bulls, however, will now return home where they take on the JOCs who are coming off one of the upsets of the season.