Synners storm home: Chadstone overcomes 30-point deficit for first win of 2025

From a top of the table showdown between the undefeated, to a scoring shootout of the winless vying for their first four points, Round 7 in the Division 3 Men’s competition had a little bit of everything.

Power House prevailed in the clash of the undefeated having beaten Wattle Park by 28 points on their home deck to keep their winning streak intact.

Power House were off to a strong start as they managed to lead by 20 points by quarter time.

From there, they were able to keep Wattle Park at arm’s length with the margin hovering between four to seven goals throughout the match. This was despite the Animals getting within three goals towards the end of the second quarter.

Power House coach Nick Cox was impressed by his team’s physicality around the ball and move it to the outside.

Despite Wattle Park suffering their first loss for the season, they are nowhere near panic stations.

Once again, coach Glenn Hopkins is confident in the Animals’ game plan and that it is good enough to beat the best sides in the competition.

Chadstone achieved their first win for 2025 as they fended off Eley Park by 29 points in a high scoring affair.

At the start of the game, it did not look like it would be the Synners’ day, facing an uphill battle and a 30-point deficit at quarter time.

This would lead coach Ian Ledder to give a stern talk to his players at the first break to reinforce their game plan and get them to chain up possessions.

For a coach who does not yell, Ledder’s message was loud and clear to his players and seemed to do the trick. Chadstone would make the match competitive as Eley Park’s lead would be reduced to nine points at half-time.

It wouldn’t be until the fourth quarter that Chadstone secured the result as they scored 46 points to the Sharks’ seven points in a dominant display.

This win should hold the Synners in good stead for the season and provide more confidence in their playing ability.

While the Sharks would be disappointed to lose, they were admirable in defeat and showed promise, particularly in that first quarter.

Albert Park has made it three wins in their last four games with Box Hill North becoming their latest scalp as they move up the ladder.

In their first home game at Bob Woodfull Oval this season, the Falcons beat the Demons by 22 points with the game becoming a shootout.

As a result, this would see Albert Park score above 100 points for the first time this season.

Player-coach of the Falcons, Jack Amies noted the potency of his forward line saying that they looked far more settled compared to previous games. This would be evident with the likes of Will Zaghis and Jack Lee kicking five and four goals respectively.

The result would mean a lot to the Falcons considering the unfortunate passing of club legend and the all-time games record holder at Albert Park Bill Jackson who will be greatly missed.  

Despite the loss, the Demons showed that they too can kick a high score which had often been an issue this season. In their previous losses for 2025, they had only averaged 60 points per game.

Richmond Central registered a 64-point defeat over Swinburne University and now have a two-game buffer on 5th-placed Box Hill North.

The Snakes put on a strong four-quarter performance to get this result which included keeping the Razorbacks scoreless in the fourth quarter.  

Coach Michael Motta was most pleased by the team’s defensive efforts. In fact, he believed that was as well as they had defended this season.

But as usual, their focus remains on being able to replicate these performances against their top four opponents.

For Swinburne coach Johnny Andrinopoulos, it was a case of the Razorbacks needing to be more clinical with their inside 50 entries and being better at defending the ball and getting out of the contest.

North Brunswick continued their winning ways with a 13-point victory over La Trobe University; their fifth win in a row as they now sit in second place.

Having scored 100+ points in their last three games, the Bulls had to adjust their game plan as despite scoring 4.7.31 in the first quarter, they would only manage to score another 24 points across the remaining three quarters.

But their experience and quality would shine through despite the nervy finish which saw North Brunswick concede 13 of the last 15 scoring shots.

This sentiment would be echoed by Bulls’ coach Domenic Fontana saying, “Every team in the comp has an ugly win through the first seven rounds. This was ours. Not pretty, but we got it done.”

For the Trobers, a 2.8 final quarter leaves them wondering what could have been had they been slightly more accurate. Especially considering that they held the Bulls to just one point during that quarter.

But speaking post-game, La Trobe coach Andy Castles was pleased with the way in which his back six defended for the entire match which kept North Brunswick to their lowest score this season.

If they can replicate this sort of performance for the remainder of the season, they’ll prove to be a more competitive outfit.

With the mid-season bye on the horizon, all ten teams will be hoping that they can get another win on the board to enjoy the King’s Birthday long weekend that little bit more.

For the second week in a row, there will be a battle between 1st and 2nd place. Ladder leaders Power House will travel to Allard Park to play North Brunswick with the Bulls hoping to halt Power House’s continued breakaway from the remaining nine teams in the competition.

La Trobe and Swinburne are hoping to find their third win for the season this week when they face one another at Tony Sheehan Oval.

Having both come off losses last week, Box Hill North and Wattle Park will be determined to avoid making two losses in a row when they clash at Elgar Park.

Richmond Central comes up against Eley Park at home to cement their spot in the top four.

And with a win on the board, Chadstone is hoping to double their win total when they play host to Albert Park to finish up Round 8.