Billy Bolch
Box Hill North vs Albert Park
The first match of the round saw an epic clash take place as Box Hill North faced Albert Park in a second vs third contest. The Demons do what they do best and that is get a very good start on their opponents. The Demons were able to kick 4 goals whilst only allowing 2 goals from the Falcons to take a 12-point lead into the quarter-time break. The second quarter saw both teams begin to put their foot down on the accelerator as both teams were able to kick 5 goals for the quarter setting the scene for a tense second half. As the siren sounded to mark the end of the first half, it was the Demons who retained a 12-point lead.
If the second quarter had both teams step on the accelerator, the third quarter saw the Falcons stomp on it and push it to the floor as they were able to kick a whopping 7 goals for the quarter to take the lead from the Demons, holding a 16-point lead as both teams had their final break. In the final quarter, both sides fought to the very end but despite 3 goals by the Demons, the Falcons were able to hold them off with 3 goals of their own to win a thriller by 13 points. This win gives the Falcons a huge boost with their spot in finals now officially cemented for the first time since 2019.
Marcus Lorkin, Joshua Hocking, Mark Squillace and Alexander Williams all kicked 2 goals for the Demons. For the Falcons, Jack Lee ran the show up forward with 7 majors. Ashley Evans (4), Jack Amies (3) and Reece French-Lightfoot (2) were the other multiple-goal kickers for the Falcons. In the best for the Demons were Joshua Hocking, Findlay Hanna and Marcus Lorkin. In the best for the Falcons were Jack Lee, Ashley Evans and Daniel Young. The Demons will now play St Johns, a team they had previously lost to. The Falcons will now play Masala, a side they have defeated in their past 2 meetings.
Masala vs North Brunswick
The second match of the round saw Masala face North Brunswick with redemption on the mind of the Tigers and momentum on the minds of the Bulls. No team this season had managed to defeat the Bulls in 2023, and the Tigers wanted to be the first. The first quarter saw both teams giving their best instantly, but this hard-fought football resulted in both teams struggling to hit the scoreboard. With the only goal of the quarter, it was the Bulls that held a 10-point lead at quarter time. The Tigers found their footing in the second quarter as they were able to add on 5 goals in the quarter whilst only allowing 2 goals from the Bulls. This saw the Tigers hold a 3-point lead over the Bulls as the siren sounded, marking only the second time the Bulls have been behind at halftime.
The third quarter was another fast-paced one from both sides as the game began to roughen up, however on the scoreboard, it remained just about even as with 2 goals kicked by both sides, Masala was able to retain a 2-point lead over the Bulls. After slowing the momentum of the Tigers in the third, The Bulls turned the game around with 4 of the first 5 goals of the quarter to take their lead out to 18 points. With a few minutes on the clock, Tiger Dave Velardo kicked a massive goal from 50m out. Unfortunately, for the Tigers, it was too little too late as the toughness and durability of the Bulls were enough to leave winners by 12 points, continuing their undefeated season.
Zac Pahos had his best game of the season with the Tigers with 4 key goals. Dave Velardo also had 2 majors for the Tigers with other goal-kickers including Jake Dunkley, Tom Williamson and Luke Broomhall. For the Bulls, Andrew Ramzy was the target up forward and he repaid the efforts of his midfield with 4 majors. Teammate Marcus Watt kicked 2 goals whilst Luke Russell, Jake Horwood and Jacob Cornejo kicked 1 goal each. In the best for the Tigers were Luke Decarne, David Velardo and Riley Shaw. In the best for the Bulls were Luke Russell, Cameron Lee and Zac Dicianni. The Tigers now turn their attention to the Falcons in the final round, where they need to secure a win or would be hoping for the JOCs to lose in order to cement that illustrious top 4 spot. The Bulls now have the first position on the ladder on lock as they face Eley Park in their final match before the finals.
St Johns vs Eley Park
The final match of the round saw St Johns take on Eley Park in what was a game that resulted in a significant confident booster for one team. After a slow start last week, the JOCs weren’t going to be held back as they got off to a hot start kicking 6 goals whilst keeping the Sharks to a single goal as they held a 38-point lead at the quarter-time break. The JOCs then took their game to another level in the second quarter with one of their biggest quarters of the season as they dominated the quarter with 8 goals whilst they prevented the Sharks from hitting the scoreboard as they extended their lead out to 89 points.
The third quarter saw the Sharks start their fight back as they hit the scoreboard with a goal of their own whilst keeping the JOCs to their smallest quarter, however, 5 goals added still hurt the margin for the Sharks as the JOCs extended their lead out to 114 points as both teams went into their huddle for the final time. The JOCs however managed to end the match with all momentum on their side as they ran away with the game with a 6-goal quarter whilst once again keeping the Sharks scoreless. In the end, it was the JOCs that left with a major 156-point victory, that not only was the third biggest win in the division this season, but it was a victory that puts all the pressure on the Tigers as the JOCs seek to eliminate the team from a spot in the finals that eliminated them in 2022.
JOCs teammates Kailum Newland (5) and Nicholas Terrill (4) combined for 9 goals whilst teammates Benjamin Ayache and Tyler Neal also significantly contributed to the win with 3 goals each. For the Sharks, Joel Kennedy and Jarrod Newton were the ones that found the goals with one goal each. In the best for the JOCs were Tyler Neal, Nicholas Terrill and Daniel Cattolico. In the best for the Sharks were Blake Reardon, Jacob Rose and Joel Kennedy. The JOCs will now face the Demons in what will be a do-or-die clash where if they win, they have a chance but if they lose, they are out. The Sharks will finish off their season in a home clash against the Bulls where they will look to be the first team to take out North Brunswick this season.
Contending For Finals
The If’s
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