Elsternwick explode early as big wins headline Div 2 Men’s — Round 1 in Review

Elsternwick 19.13.127 def North Brunswick 9.10.64

Elsternwick’s fast start set the tone for Round 1, with several sides recording dominant wins across the competition. It was this blistering start that proved decisive, kicking the first six goals of the game to take control early against North Brunswick.

Elsternwick coach Oliver Gildea praised the impact of his side’s debutants. “Our two debutants were standouts, Harris Wassylko who was a point of difference in the midfield and Spencer Martinez who kicked three goals and set up a few others,” he said. Gildea said his side’s fast start was a key focus leading into the match. “We had spoken about the importance of setting the tone early given both sides were new to the division, so it was nice to get the jump on them early,” he said.

North Brunswick were hampered by injuries, with two players going down in the first quarter and another late in the game. North Brunswick coach Domenic Fontana said the early stages proved costly. “It was obviously a poor start from our point of view, and against a good side you can’t give up that sort of early momentum,” he said. Fontana was pleased with his side’s response to the opening term. “I thought for the next 40 minutes … we were able to steady and compete much more strongly.”

South Melbourne 10.11.71 def Therry Penola 8.6.54

A second quarter surge proved the turning point for South Melbourne in the closest contest of Round 1, kicking four goals straight before half time to overturn an early deficit against Therry Penola.

Therry Penola responded early in the third, before the Bloods steadied and took control for the remainder of the game.  Patrick Carracher started the season strong, kicking four goals in the first quarter and finishing with six, while new Bloods recruit Nic Broomfield also hit the scoreboard with three goals in his first outing for the club.

Therry Penola were able to find momentum through Lucas Ryan, before an unfortunate incident which saw a Therry Penola player reported. Therry Penola coach John Tate said the moment had a significant impact on the contest. “This hurt our structure with rotations and South Melbourne had a slight lead into the last,” he said.

Tate said his side’s decision-making late in the game proved costly. “We took unnecessary risks and poor skill execution cost us late in the game”.

South Melbourne coach Shaun Gould was impressed with his side’s willingness to work hard throughout the game. “At half time the challenge was to continue to work hard through the next half as we didn’t manage this in our trial. They didn’t stop and it was brilliant for Round 1,” he said.

Gould was also pleased with the team-first football the Bloods played. “We had areas all over the ground that had standout performances and probably the highlight for me was the team first football performance to kick off the season.”

Powerhouse 14.13.97 def MHSOB 8.10.58

Powerhouse kicked away in the final quarter to secure a strong win over MHSOB, piling on seven goals to break open what had been a tight contest across the first three quarters. Powerhouse began the last term with force, kicking the first four to propel them to victory.

Powerhouse captain Luke Stubbs led by example with four goals while Rory O’Connor and Matt Chisari also impressed. Powerhouse coach Nick Cox said he was pleased with how his side performed despite missing several key players. “The way the boys stepped up with four or five players missing, our contest work is pretty powerful and to do this without them was good,” he said. Cox said his side’s outside run proved a key factor as the game opened up late. “The game opened up as both teams got tired and I think our outside run was better than theirs.”

Unicorns coach Sean Lester showed high praise for new recruit Luca Di Lallo. “Luca Di Lallo gave us great pressure forward, often competing against multiple defenders,” he said. Lester said his side matched Powerhouse for much of the contest. “We started really well and our intent, defensive pressure and physicality matched Powerhouse for three quarters. They were better at playing Powerhouse’s brand of footy … they managed to keep it on their own terms and as we tried to break it open, we ultimately created more opportunities for them”.

14.10.94 def Aquinas 8.10.58

A six-goal performance from the wing proved the standout moment in Whitefriars’ win over Aquinas, with Tim Angus playing a decisive role in the result.

Whitefriars broke the game open in the second quarter, building a strong half time lead before extending their advantage after the break. Friars coach Andrew Daou said it was a tough contest before his side were able to break the game open.

“We got through the game only really being top for about one and a half quarters, it was a tough contest game which we were able to match then eventually break it open.”

Daou said his side’s run was key through the middle stages of the game. “Our run through the second half of the second and the entire third was great… but need to be able to put that together for four quarters.”

Aquinas coach Josh Quinlan said his side showed some positives despite the result. “We were able to have strong moments throughout the game … when we played our way, we were able to score which was a positive. Whitefriars lifted the bar which is a credit to them but unfortunately in moments we weren’t able to lift… we just couldn’t ride theirs or build our momentum. They punished us off our turnovers which was a little deflating.”

Quinlan had high praise for his blackline who were up against a strong Friars forward line. He also praised his defensive group, with Rory O’Brien, Jacob Costello and Jack Livingston standing out against a strong forward line.

Canterbury 12.20.92 def West Brunswick 7.12.54

Canterbury broke the game open in the third quarter, turning an even contest at half time into a commanding win over West Brunswick. Mitch Szabo impressed, kicking five goals for Canterbury. With scores level at half time, West Brunswick briefly took the lead early in the third before Canterbury responded with three consecutive goals to open up a 16-point advantage at the final change. Canterbury coach Steve Brown said he was pleased with his side’s intensity after half time.

“I thought our defenders were incredible after half time. Reuben Crawford and Robert Ritson worked really well together as tall defenders; we also increased our intensity after half time and really got after it,” he said.

Brown said his side’s fitness also played a key role in the result. “We have worked hard on our running and our fitness over summer. It felt like we were able to work harder for longer today”.

West Brunswick coach Rick Pograri said his side showed promising signs but could not sustain it for four quarters. “The group competed well and showed some strong signs, particularly with a number of our newer and younger players stepping up and taking the game on, just didn’t sustain it for four quarters”.