Bulls and Snakes continue to yo-yo while Falcons close gap to top four

Power House has further reinforced its dominance over the rest of the competition with an 89-point win against Box Hill North.

This was despite the first quarter being a close tussle with Power House only having a two-point lead, and it looked set to be a close one.

But in the second quarter, Power House would put on a dominant display to keep the Demons scoreless while kicking 7.4 (46) to ascend to an eight-goal lead going into halftime.

The dominance would continue throughout the second half with Power House maintaining a consistent scoring rate while keeping the Demons to just a further ten points after halftime.

It would prove to be the ultimate team game with no player from Power House kicking above two goals.

It’s a tough result for the Demons, considering the improvements they have made throughout the season. Their score of just 22 points was the lowest score that the Demons have scored since Round 8, 2024. The loss would also see them drop 12% which does make their push for finals more reliant on winning outright rather.

While Box Hill North will be frustrated, Blake Williams once again was the shining light for the Demons, kicking all three of their goals and showing why he made the initial 49-man squad of the Big V Prem B-Div 3 side this year.

As a result of his performance, he has now kicked a half-century of goals in what has been a career-best year, as he now extends his lead as the leading goalkicker in the competition by nine goals.  

In the top four clash between Wattle Park and Richmond Central, it would be the boys from Burwood who would run out victors by 17 points.

It looked like the Animals were going to dominate the game from the start, registering four of the first five scores of the match. But the Snakes would work themselves into the game to take the lead going into quarter time by four points.

The Animals took back the margin after eight minutes in the second quarter and would not relinquish it. The Snakes did keep the margin within touching distance, which kept their opposition on their toes throughout the match.

As a result of the win, Wattle Park has regained their one-game gap to fourth, which could come in handy towards the season’s end for their positioning.

For the Snakes, the loss has seen their percentage drop by 14 per cent, which means they lose their percentage advantage to North Brunswick. It’s also another loss to a top four side, which has been a bugbear of theirs throughout this season, with all four of their losses having come to their fellow top four sides.

La Trobe University managed a comfortable 71-point victory against Eley Park to see them win three of their last five games.

Windy conditions had some influence on the match with the Trobers getting the breeze in the first quarter and using it to their advantage, leading by 23 points at quarter time.

But the Sharks were unable to make the most of that advantage in the second quarter, with the Trobers extending their lead at halftime.

And with the breeze on their side yet again, the game would be put out of the Sharks’ reach in the third quarter.

Once again, the Sharks conceded 100 points or more for the 12th time this season. And with loss, they become the first side across the VAFA to have conceded 2000 points this season.

While they have struggled defensively, they have started to close the margin gap, showing some improvement. Having incurred a 75-point loss last week to Swinburne, it is the first time they have had back-to-back losses under 100 points since Round 14 and 15 last year.

For La Trobe, the result keeps them within the finals hunt, albeit with a very slim chance. However, stranger things have happened before.

A resounding victory for North Brunswick over Chadstone has seen the Bulls move back to second place following their 132-point win.

North Brunswick from the outset was dominant, managing a first-quarter score of 58 points, which was their highest this season. That total alone was better than their full-time score in three of their matches.

The Bulls continued to score with consistency as they extended their lead into triple digits throughout the game, while Chadstone couldn’t prevent them.

With their win, the Bulls find themselves in second place for the third time in five weeks, having consistently swapped places with Richmond Central.

And now, thanks to their huge victory margin, they also have a superior percentage of 194, which could prove vital if tied with any of their finals-contending teams.

With the loss on the weekend, Chadstone is officially out of contention for finals.  

The Albert Park Falcons have continued their winning ways against Swinburne University with an 81-point victory.

While it was a slow first quarter for both sides, Albert Park would get their groove on with a 10-goal second quarter, helping put the game out of reach of the Razorbacks.

The margin could have been bigger for the Falcons, having kicked 3.8 in the final quarter, but they will be happy with the result regardless.

Considering that at the start of the year, the Falcons were having issues scoring, compared to now scoring 100+ points in five of their last six games, shows they’re going to prove to be a handful in the final third of the season.  

With this win, Albert Park is now tied on eight wins with fourth-placed Richmond Central, with only a 54 per cent gap separating the two sides, giving them a live chance of playing finals.

While for Swinburne, they find themselves stuck in eighth place as they are two wins above ninth-placed Chadstone and two wins below seventh-placed La Trobe, which makes it hard to.

For Round 13, Albert Park plays host to La Trobe at Bob Woodfull Oval. If the Falcons win, their winning streak will extend to seven games, which will be an equal best within the division following Power House’s win streak at the start of the season. However, if La Trobe can win, it will be their first win against an opposition above them on the ladder.

Box Hill North will be using their Round 12 loss as motivation to inflict a big result against Eley Park at Whitehorse Reserve. For Eley Park, the motivation of beating their local rivals should help motivate them to get their first victory this season.

Wattle Park travels to Jordan Reserve to play Chadstone as the Animals look to extend their gap to fourth place. On the other hand, the Synners will be hoping to play the role of spoiler and throw a wrench into Wattle Park’s top two chances.  

In another clash between the top four sides, Power House takes on Richmond Central. Power House could all but confirm their spot in the finals with a victory against the Snakes. For Richmond Central, it will be their fifth chance at trying to beat a top four side, which they’ll need to help build confidence going into the final stretch of the season. North Brunswick is hoping to maintain their second-place spot when they take on Swinburne down at St James Park.