Parkside win in a thriller as UHS-VU remain on top

Liam Cole

Fast starts have given Prahran and Ormond big percentage boosting wins, as the Parkside Devils come from behind to steal the points away from the Old Peninsula Pirates.

Parkside came from behind to beat Old Peninsula in a two-point thriller. The Devils were behind for most of the game with Rick Frost’s side down by three goals at three quarter-time. The Pirates midfield was strong in the first three quarters as Kurt Thiele, Jake Lovett and Hugh Peacock provided great heat around the ball.

Meanwhile, it took until two and a half minutes left to go in the last quarter for the Devils to hit the front. Michael Romano was the best player on the ground kicking three game defining goals in the last quarter including the winner for the Devils. The in-form Michael Romano has kicked eight goals in two weeks.

Prahran had a comfortable win at home over the Preston Bullants by 70 points. Prahran’s intensity really set the tone early, winning multiple centre clearances which led to nine consecutive goals in the first quarter. When the match was there to be won Mackenzie Mayne and Shaun Chapman’s aggression was on show with the two dominating around the ground. Lack of possession and spread around the ground caused the Bullants to bring up their first goal only in the 20th minute of the second quarter by Liam McLeod.

Max Milward was exceptional in the Prahran’s forward line, offering elite pressure around the ball and was rewarded with five goals for the day. Midfielder Sean Calcedo helped the Preston Bullants lift in the second half, but it was too late. Prahran’s Matt Clifford is continuing his superb start to the season and UHS-VU will need to put some work into him next round.

UHS-VU remain undefeated as they got the win over Therry Penola by 38 points. It was a tight tussle in the first quarter with UHS-VU having a 14-point lead. UHS-VU lifted their pressure in the second half with young players Matt Dimmatina and Noah Seiderman playing well. UHS-VU skipper Harrison Kennedy and Esubalew Ramsey proved too good in the midfield battle as they restricted the Lions to just two goals in the second half.

Meanwhile, debutant Mungo Couper-Johnston had a day out in the forward line kicking four goals for UHS-VU. There were plenty of positives for the Lions as Skipper Joel Costello battled hard in the midfield and Jack Ford did well down back keeping dangerous forward Brandon Jackson to just one goal.

Over at Ransford Oval Ormond got the points over West Brunswick by 100 points flat. The pressure from the Monders overwhelmed the Magpies from the very beginning as pressure forward Aidan Soria starred once again with four goals. Ormond’s forward line is becoming quite a threat to the competition with Lachlan Grnogorac and James Tsakonas kicking four each on the day to help put the Monders 64-points up at half-time.

Rapid ball movement from the Monder’s proved too strong to handle as they brought up the 150 for the second time this season. The Monder’s have scored 20 goals or more in the past three matches and are certainly cementing themselves into the top four with big percentage boosting wins.

The Kew Bears won a tight affair against the Old Yarra Cobras by 26 points. The Cobras started well in the midfield with the three first goals of the day but afterwards you couldn’t split the difference between the two sides. The largest margin of the game was only 18 points, and it took a strong last quarter from the Bears to put the Old Yarra Cobras at bay.

Bears forward Ned Waters starred with five goals as the Bears kicked five goals to three in the last. Old Yarra Cobras forward David Tokatliyan played well kicking the four goals, but they still are looking to find their first win of the season.

Round 6 has some huge matches for teams looking for a spot in the top four as two sides face off to get their first win on the board.

The Magpies play at home against the Old Yarra Cobras as both teams fight for the four points. The Magpies will be looking to learn from their recent defeat against Ormond and defend ball movement a lot better.

Prahran are looking to spoil the party for the undefeated UHS-VU side in which will be the biggest of the round at Brens Oval. The midfield battle will be intriguing as UHS-VU will be looking to reduce the impact of key talls: Shaun Chapman and Skipper Rory Brodie.

The Pirates take on Therry Penola at John Pascoe Fawkner Reserve. The Pirates were unlucky to not get the win against the Devils on the weekend and will be fired up in a must win game for their finals hopes.

The Bears take on an in-form Parkside team at Victoria Park. The Bears will be focused on nullifying the impact of Michael Romano who clearly knows what to do in the big moments. The split between playing in the midfield and forward is working a treat as he’s kicked 11 goals for the season.

Ormond are back at home and are up against the Preston Bullants. The Preston Bullants will need to be switched on early against the Monders who have a dangerous forward and will punish if given enough opportunities.