Gap between top four and the rest tightens

Wattle Park comfortably defeated Swinburne University with an 84-point win to strengthen their position within the top four.

From start to finish, the Animals had this game in control, with their only struggle being wayward kicking in the first quarter, as they scored 5.7 at quarter time.

But after that, the Animals only kicked another three behinds for the rest of the match while scoring 16 goals.

It’s another strong result for the Animals as they continue to build up their percentage following their back-to-back losses against Power House and Box Hill North. They are now only four per cent off second place, which is well within reach.

After starting the season 2-1, the Razorbacks have now lost seven games in a row and will be eager to change the narrative in the coming weeks to work their way up the ladder.

A brilliant fourth-quarter performance by North Brunswick would prove to be the difference in their clash against Richmond Central as they ran out 31-point winners.

It was a see-sawing affair between the two sides for three quarters, with nine lead changes throughout the match, with the lead not getting beyond eight points.  

Heading into three-quarter time, Richmond Central would have a one-point lead, although they were somewhat lucky to hold an advantage, given that the Bulls inaccurately scored 1.6 to the Snakes’ 2.1 during the quarter.

But North Brunswick would be far more accurate in the fourth scoring 6.3 in the fourth quarter, which proved to be the difference between the two sides.

With the Bulls’ win alongside Wattle Park’s victory, it means that the Snakes drop from second to fourth place.

Having made it a point of measuring themselves against the top four sides, the Snakes, as noted by coach Michael Motta, will be disappointed that they did not execute under pressure.

However, they still have the superior percentage of 200% over Wattle Park and North Brunswick, which could prove important towards the end of the season.

Albert Park has achieved their second 100+ point win this season, having defeated Eley Park by 103 points.

The Falcons got out to a blistering start, booting 10 of their 25 goals within the first quarter to set the game up for themselves while they held the Sharks to just two goals.

Albert Park would continue that momentum, being able to extend their lead at each quarter break with Thomas Wilson and Alister Lupo leading the Falcons on the scoring end with five and six goals respectively for the match.

This win continues the Falcons’ strong form after starting the season 0-3, to now only be within four points (plus percentage) of fourth-place Richmond Central.

In fact, since Round 3, the Falcons have a record of 6-1, which would see them sit third on the ladder, showing how impressive they have been in recent weeks.

While the Sharks are still yet to win a game, they have continued to show improvement since the bye, having managed to kick above 60 points. Alongside that, their scoreline of 9.12 would also be the most scoring shots that they had generated this season.

While proud of his team’s performance despite the result, coach Matt Embling has been particularly impressed by newcomers Dilan Sliwinski and Tobey Draffin, who have been handy additions to their squad.

Box Hill North returned to winning ways with a 40-point victory over Chadstone to move up to 6th place on the ladder.

It was a commanding performance by the Demons, who showed a complete four-quarter performance with their physicality proving too much for Chadstone.

Leading the way on the goal front would be Warren Schmidt and Blake Williams, who booted three goals each. Schmidt would be named best on ground for the Demons alongside Mitchell Newman, Marcus Lorkin, Josh Chivers, Daniel Carey and Cristian Christopoulos.

It wasn’t all negatives for Chadstone following this loss. The Synners were able to equal to match the Demons’ score in the third quarter.

It was also their lowest losing margin for the season, alongside it being their highest score in a losing match, showing that they are becoming a more competitive team.

Power House has once again maintained top spot on the ladder for the 10th straight week as they beat La Trobe University by 43 points.

The Trobers kept it competitive through the first half as they kept the scores level during quarter time and only trailed Power House by two points coming into half time.

However, the experience and class of Power House would shine in the third quarter as they broke from their shackles and were able to score far more freely to lead by 32 points at three-quarter time.  

The increase in score would also be helped with the return of key forward Jack Taylor-Evans into their lineup.

Despite having only played five games this season, having been sidelined due to injury, he kicked nine goals in his return game. As a result of his performance, Taylor-Evans currently sits second on the goals tally with 38 goals and is only four goals behind Box Hill North’s Blake Williams.

Having incurred defeats of 85 and 81 points against Power House last year, this week’s defeat of 43 points shows improvement for La Trobe.

This was noted by coach Andy Castles, who felt the game itself felt a lot different to the games against Power House last year, which will give his players confidence going forward throughout the remainder of the season.

Round 11 will see some exciting rematches from earlier in the season.

Box Hill North goes up against North Brunswick at Elgar Park. The Demons fell short to North Brunswick by a point in a controversial finish in Round 3, with Box Hill North believing they were robbed. They’ll be keen to avenge that result and achieve their second victory against a top four side.

Swinburne University will be hoping to snap their seven-match losing streak and close the gap to seventh when they come up against Eley Park at Whitehorse Reserve. However, it may prove difficult as Eley Park’s last senior victory occurred against the Razorbacks at the same venue back in Round 16, 2024.

Albert Park will be hoping to continue building their case for finals with a win over Wattle Park. The Falcons will be seeking revenge on their home turf after missing a shot on goal to win after the siren back in their Round 3 clash. 

Richmond Central has its first home game since the bye when they take on La Trobe University at Kevin Bartlett Reserve. They will be keen to rebound after their loss to North Brunswick, while the Trobers look to replicate their first-half performance against Power House for a full four quarters.

And Chadstone will look to continue to build on their form from the last few weeks against Power House, who themselves will look to boost their already superior percentage in this matchup.