West Brunswick shock Canterbury as Power House flex their muscles: Division 2 Men’s Round 9 in review

Whitefriars 12.10.82 def Aquinas 8.9.57

After losing two games in a row, Whitefriars got back to winning ways, with a five-goal-to-none final term.  Aquinas started the game on top, kicking the opening four goals, giving them a 25-point lead at quarter-time.

“Our pressure was white hot,” Aquinas coach Josh Quinlan said of his side’s start to the match.

“We were sticking hard tackles and making them earn it, and our group lifted as the quarter went on. We were there in the second quarter, but weren’t there at all in the second half.”

“They were just hungrier than us at the jump, but we worked our way into it,” Whitefriars coach Andrew Daou said. “Our slow starts seem to be a recurring theme for us; it is something we are trying to work out but are yet to find the answer.”

Whitefriars cut the lead to 17 at half-time and five at three-quarter time. “We knew they were going to come at some stage; good sides do,” Quinlan said. “We just couldn’t win or halve the ball in the contest in the second half, and that’s where they took it away from us. Once they won it at the source they spread and opened us up.”

Whitefriars kicked the last goal of the third term and carried that momentum into the last, kicking five goals to none to complete their comeback. “Our run and execution were great, we created space for one another to work in and backed each other to win the 50/50,” Daou said.

It was a wet and windy day in Melbourne, with the conditions impacting the contest.

“I think it made it a bit of a game of two halves,” Quinlan said. “The first half was very free flowing for both sides, but the second half was a lot more contested with wetter conditions.” Cameron Hayes was key for Whitefriars, while Jacob Costello, Toby Love and Conor Lucas were the standouts for Aquinas.

West Brunswick 13.13.91 def Canterbury 11.13.79

West Brunswick produced the upset of the round, knocking off ladder leaders Canterbury by 12 points. Canterbury were the better side in the first half, leading by 20 at quarter-time and 18 at half-time.

“Full credit to Canterbury, they started the game very well and had us on the back foot early,” West Brunswick coach Rick Pograri said. “Their pressure and ball movement was strong. To our players’ credit, I thought we started to gain some momentum back halfway through the second quarter and were able to work our way into the contest before half-time.”

The Magpies made adjustments at half-time, creating a five-goal third term which gave them a five-point lead at three-quarter time.

“At half-time we reiterated how we wanted to play and focused on a few key areas that we felt would help us get the game back on our terms,” Pograri said. “The pleasing thing was the players’ ability to execute those adjustments. We were able to get better territory and create more opportunities, which ultimately reflected on the scoreboard.”

The Magpies kicked the first two goals of the final term, which sealed the victory. “I thought the last quarter was a real arm wrestle,” Pograri said. “Both sides gave absolutely everything and there wasn’t much separating us.”

Canterbury will rue missed chances as the Cobras kicked nine behinds in the opening term, failing to capitalise on their dominance. It was the reverse result of the Round 1 fixture, with West Brunswick using learnings from Round 1 in their performance.

“We certainly took some lessons out of the first game,” Pograri said. “Canterbury are a quality side and we felt there were areas from Round 1 where we could improve. We focused on a few specific areas during the week, and the players did a great job of implementing them on game day.” Canterbury will look to bounce back against MHSOB at home.

Elsternwick 6.14.50 def North Brunswick 5.10.40

A three-goal-to-none final quarter secured Elsternwick the four points over North Brunswick in a highly competitive game of footy. Both teams failed to register a major in the first quarter; however, North Brunswick responded with a four-goal second term, giving them a 19-point lead at half-time.

“They rolled numbers back defensively and clogged up our back half, then caught us out on turnover,” Elsternwick coach Oliver Gildea said. “They also owned the clearance game early.”

“What was working well for us in the first half was our stoppage work and our ability to use the ball cleanly when we weren’t under a great deal of pressure,” North Brunswick coach Domenic Fontana said.

Elsternwick responded in the second half, kicking five goals whilst holding North Brunswick to one goal.

“After half-time I thought Elsternwick lifted their intensity and that caused more skill errors from us,” Fontana said. “Once our execution dropped away, they were able to work their way back into the game and get momentum, particularly in the last quarter.”

It was an improvement for North Brunswick from their Round 1 performance against Elsternwick.

“The main positive for us was the improvement from Round 1,” Fontana said. “We lost by 52 points the first time we played them, and we were 40 points down at quarter-time, so to be in front for around three and a half quarters this time was a significant step forward for the group.”

It could have been a much larger winning margin for Elsternwick, with the visitors kicking 14 behinds. “There were no easy goals in those conditions with a waterlogged footy, so we had to scrap for every goal, so it was a great fightback,” Gildea said. “I think that was the cause of the poor goal-kicking too.”

Power House 11.11.77 def MHSOB 6.10.46

Power House defeated MHSOB by 31 points, ending the Unicorns’ four-game winning streak. A four-goal surge late in the first quarter gave Power House plenty of momentum and a 41-point lead at quarter-time.

“The game was relatively even, except for the last 10 minutes of the first quarter, Power House went from a three-goal lead to seven goals quickly,” MHSOB coach Sean Lester said. “We just didn’t suck the air out of the game and slow their momentum, which is disappointing as we’ve had success doing this over the last month.”

“They started pretty well but wasted a few chances,” Power House coach Nick Cox said. “We got on top at centre bounce and our forwards worked really hard and we took our chances.”

Power House’s defence was key once again, holding the Unicorns to only one goal at three-quarter time.

“Power House is the best defence side in Division 2, they work together, play contested and simple stoppage and territory footy,” Lester said. “We weren’t willing enough to take the game on and challenge them.”

The Unicorns were able to break through in the final term, kicking five goals; however, it was not enough as Power House rounded out 31-point winners.

“We put them under plenty of pressure with our tackling and forced turnovers,” Cox said. “We knew they would come at some stage, and they put us under some pressure in the last quarter. We’re just happy with another hard-fought win.”

The Unicorns did receive some positive news during the week, with forward Luca Di Lallo selected to represent the Big V.

“Luca is a fantastic recruit for us,” Lester said. “His talent on-field and how quickly he’s adjusted to Division 2 has been impressive. He’s a tough matchup, but more so he’s a great guy. Always interested in teammates and helping others improve their footy too.”

Therry Penola 6.10.46 def South Melbourne 4.13.37

Therry Penola recorded their fourth win of the season in a tight contest against South Melbourne away from home. In Round 1, South Melbourne defeated Therry Penola by 17 points. The Lions responded to that defeat in the reverse fixture.

“We did look back to Round 1, and we changed how we moved the ball with speed as we were very slow in Round 1 and allowed South Melbourne to set up behind the ball,” Therry Penola coach John Tate said. “A few personnel changes to the team, but we felt our confidence and trust is showing over the last five rounds.”

A strong breeze to one end of the ground made goal-kicking difficult throughout the day, and Therry Penola used the breeze well in the second term, kicking three goals to none.

“In the second quarter we had a lot more of the ball, but the wind made it difficult to score accurately,” Tate said. “Glen Widdicombe and Ben Tarran down back led the way with plenty of touches and Dan Fisher connected back half to front with plenty of run.”

Tate made some changes at half-time which worked; however, South Melbourne capitalised on the breeze in the third, with Therry Penola holding onto a two-point lead at three-quarter time.

“At half-time we asked the forwards to play high against the breeze, and they did so with great effect,” Tate said. “South Melbourne played a seven-man forward line which caught us off guard, but our defence did enough to keep the lead.”

Therry Penola’s one goal in the final term was enough to get them over the line; however, South Melbourne will rue missed chances in front of goal, kicking three behinds in the last quarter.

“We knew coming into the last, every goal was worth double as the rain poured down,” Tate said. “South Melbourne tied the game with simple force-the-ball-forward tactics, but a couple of errors by them and great decision-making by our mids enabled us to kick a goal and we were a little unlucky not to score more.”

South Melbourne will look to bounce back against Aquinas away from home, while Therry Penola will look to make it three on the bounce against Whitefriars.