Power House dominates as competition gears up for the final round

Power House had a percentage-boosting win over Eley Park as they go into the final round of Division 3 Men’s on top of the table.

It was a dominant performance against the under-strength Sharks, with the ladder leaders scoring at will which has seen their percentage rise to 250 per cent.

The ladder-leaders managed to boot 59 goals across the four quarters while holding the Sharks scoreless. It was a strong team performance with 13 players hitting the scoreboard for Power House as they gear up for their finals campaign.

Harry Officer led the way on the goal-kicking front for the side, kicking 18 goals in the match, with Luke Stubbs also managing to get into double digits.   

With this win, Power House (barring a minor miracle) appears set to play in the qualifying semi-final, as they would have to lose and drop at least 35% from their current percentage for any team to be in reach.

Wattle Park and North Brunswick played a tightly contested affair with the Animals being 10-point victors to retain their top two spot.  

There was plenty on the line for this clash, with both teams needing this win to put them in the box seat for a top two finish in the final round.

As the game started, both teams were able to defend each other’s attacking opportunities, resulting in a low-scoring first quarter with the Animals only leading by five points.

The second quarter would flip in the Bulls’ favour with North Brunswick leading by a point. Only for the Animals to lead at three-quarters time by eight points.

The fourth and final quarter was no different to the previous three, with both teams tied at 59 apiece during the 15th minute mark of the final quarter, with the game definitively in the balance.

And with this balance, the Animals took control of the game, kicking a decisive goal at the 19th minute to lead, which was followed by four consecutive points to close out the match.

A loss was indeed the worst result for the Bulls as this sees them a game behind Richmond Central on the ladder on equal percentage.

While for the Animals, they are now a game clear of Richmond Central in 2nd place with a game to go.

Box Hill North have managed to reach double-digit wins for the year as they defeated La Trobe University by 13 points.

The Trobers would be the ones to start off the match well, as they generated the majority of the scoring opportunities in the first quarter to lead by 13 points.

Despite their strong start, La Trobe would let Box Hill North back into the game.

Although it would take them a little bit to take the lead, as they scored five points in a row before then kicking four consecutive goals to lead by nine points at halftime.

From there, the Demons were able to hold out for the remainder of the second half, with the Razorbacks only able to get within two points during the fourth quarter.

With a win over the Trobers, Box Hill North now go into 5th place, which is the first time that they have reached the position since Round 8.

In La Trobe’s case, it just further confirms their 7th placed spot on the ladder with a week to go.

Swinburne University has broken a five-game losing streak with a 39-point win against Chadstone.

Both teams heading into the match had the possibility of finishing 8th following the Synners’ win against Albert Park last week, seeing both teams tied on three wins.

And having been highly motivated from last week’s result, Chadstone would continue their wave of momentum to get themselves to a five-point lead at quarter time and looked like they were on their way to three straight wins.

But following the quarter-time break, the Razorbacks demonstrated their quality. They would take the lead during the second quarter and refused to give it up, following that, restricting the Synners to scoring just 28 points between the second and fourth quarter.

To put that into context, Chadstone scored 26 points in the first period.

While on the scoring end, captain Simon Heather would once again lead the way as he booted seven of Swinburne’s 14 goals for the match.

As a result of this win, it keeps Swinburne’s record of beating teams below them at a perfect 4-0 from four games, which will secure them an 8th placed finish.

While for Chadstone, they are now set to finish 9th, which is a step up from their 11th-place finish in their return to senior men’s divisional football from last year.

Richmond Central have moved from 4th place for the first time since Round 12 in large part to their 32-point win against Albert Park.

In their first home game for the month, the Snakes made their opportunities count in the first quarter, managing to get out to a five-point lead despite having the same amount of scoring shots as Albert Park.

From there, Richmond Central managed to slightly increase their lead at each quarter break to an eventually unassailable lead to win the match.

It is now their 5th win in a row for the Snakes, having appeared to have timed their run just right, with their still being a possibility they can finish in the top two as they now sit 3rd, thanks to North Brunswick losing to Wattle Park.

And for the Falcons, it is their fourth loss in a row after having gone on a seven-match win streak before this. They also now move down to 6th place after having sat in 5th place since Round 9.

For the final round of the home and away season, we will get a sneak peek at what finals will look like as North Brunswick plays Richmond Central at Kevin Bartlett Reserve. Both teams sit 4th and 3rd respectively, which means we could see a repeat the following week in the elimination semi-final. The Bulls, regardless of the result, will be there as they can only climb as high as 3rd with a win. The Snakes are still a chance of a top two finish should they win, and Wattle Park loses.

For that to happen, it requires Swinburne to pull off a huge upset against the Animals at Bennettswood Reserve. With the Razorbacks confined to 8th on the ladder, they will still want to finish the year on a high and finally beat a side that is above them on the ladder. While the equation for Animals remains simple. Win and a top two spot is theirs.

Power House can secure the minor premiership with a win over La Trobe at Tony Sheehan Oval, with their percentage boost from their Round 17 match. On paper, they look set to win. But in their Round 10 clash, the Trobers were able to keep up with Power House for at least the first half, showing that it should be a competitive matchup.  

Box Hill North will finish out their season at their home ground of Elgar Park against Chadstone. The Demons will be looking to extend their win-loss record to 11-7 to top off what has already been an extraordinary season since their return to senior men’s divisional football back in 2018. While the Synners will want to claim a 4th win for the season, which would see them double their win count from last season.

Eley Park is heading into their clash against Albert Park at Bob Woodfull Oval, hoping to desperately avoid finishing this season with zero wins. Albert Park, in the meantime, is hoping to get back into 5th place to finish the season, which they can do should Box Hill North lose their clash against Chadstone.