Division 1 Men’s Round 10 Review

Parkside (9.13 – 67) def Brunswick (5.9 – 39)

In a solid contest, Parkside defeated Brunswick at home by 28 points. While competitive, Brunswick stayed a quarter behind throughout the game, unable to reduce the margin at any break. Parkside widened the gap in second spot on the ladder after winning decisively, while third-placed Prahran fell to Kew, who are forcing their way into finals contention.

Parkside coach Rick Frost praised his opposition, saying “Brunswick were really good and came to play”, before shouting out the standouts from his side.

“Riley Williams was excellent again, and young Ryan McIntosh stood up when it was important,” he said. “James Heaney got lots of the ball on the wing, and Hayden Kenny used the ball very well in tough conditions in the backline.”

Joseph Holden led the scoring for Parkside with four goals, while Brunswick vice-captain Joe Gale led his side’s goal kicking with two of his own.

Next round, Parkside will have another home game, this time against a struggling Old Yarra Cobras side, while Brunswick will host Monash Blues, who are coming off a significant home loss to St Mary’s.

Preston Bullants (19.13 – 127) def Oakleigh (7.10 – 52)

Preston’s class showed as they continued their flawless streak with a win against Oakleigh. While Oakleigh hit the scoreboard in the second half, a one-goal to 11 first half broke the game apart early. Preston stacked on 19 goals for the game and won by the biggest margin of the week with 75 points.

Oakleigh coach Chris Worner acknowledged his opponent’s credentials after the loss, saying, “Preston are on top for a reason”. However, a few players’ efforts stood out for his side despite the result. Worner praised 16-year-old Oliver Rousetty, who played his first senior game in the ruck against Luke Green and Nick Perizzolo.

“He has only played 35 games of footy prior to his debut and competed well at stoppages,” Worner said. Other standouts included forward, Elliot Black, who kicked three goals, and Clint Piney, who “contributed well coming up from the 2s for the first time in a few years”.

Preston will aim to continue their unbeaten streak against strong competition next week as they face third-placed Prahran, who will be out to respond after a disappointing loss at home to Kew. Oakleigh will hope to keep pace with the top four as they travel to face Kew.

St Mary’s Salesian (16.15 – 111) def Monash Blues (9.13 – 67)

In a high-scoring matchup, St Mary’s Salesian defeated Monash Blues by 44 points, after a disappointing one-goal loss in Round 9. St Mary’s took hold of the game early, with six goals to two in the first quarter. While conditions changed the pace of the game at times, St Mary’s maintained consistent control over the scoreboard, eventually breaking away to a seven-goal lead.

St Mary’s coach Heath Chipperfield opened by saying the game was a “good response from the group after the disappointment of last week,” before identifying that the “wind was a bit flukey and favoured one end of the ground.”

Chipperfield was impressed by his group’s ability to capitalise on this early and to alter their kicking when required, which he said “was a real sign of growth from the group.”

Two players made their debut for St Mary’s on the day, including Harry Cullin, who kicked two goals, including one in the first 15 seconds of the game. Chipperfield said he “looks to be an exciting future prospect.”

Chipperfield also praised both Zack Thurman and Jack Contencin, alongside Hamish MacMillan, who Chipperfield said “ended up with six for the day and straightened us up going inside 50.”

On the other side, Monash Blues forward Will Snookes continues to put his hand up for the league’s number one goal kicker. With seven on the day, Snookes is tied with Oakleigh’s Rogan Kitts on 38 goals for the season.

Monash travel next week to face Brunswick, as they once again fight to move past UHS-VU on the ladder and get out of the relegation bracket. St Mary’s Salesian will travel to face UHS-VU, as St Mary’s try to stack up the wins and get into the top four.

UHS-VU (10.8 – 68) def Old Yarra Cobras (8.8 – 56)

University High School – Victoria University held out for a 12-point victory against the Old Yarra Cobras in what was the Cobras’ most competitive game of the season. Old Yarra started the game on top, leading by three goals at the first break, and one at halftime. However, UHS-VU took over in the third, keeping the Cobras goalless and scoring five of their own. While Old Yarra recovered in the final term, it wasn’t enough to take back the lead, stopping the Cobras from getting their first win of the year.

In response to the loss, Old Yarra coach Nathan Monaco said it was “pretty disappointing for the players to not get some reward. We were on top in most of the stats, just didn’t capitalise on our territory gains. A couple of poor decisions from us (and others) late in the game hurt us.”

The standout for Monaco was Anthony Lamanna, while the key goal scorers were Jack Hall and Ben Makowski with three apiece for the Cobras, and Brandon Jackson with five for UHS-VU.

Old Yarra Cobras will travel next week to face Parkside, who will be hoping to keep their place in the top two. St Mary’s Salesian will be the next opponent for UHS-VU.

Kew (16.8 – 104) def Prahran (8.10 – 58)

Kew showed that they are up for the fight against the best of the best in Round 10, with a convincing win against Prahran. After losing to Prahran earlier in the year, Kew responded with an all-round performance, keeping Prahran to eight goals at full-time, having scored 16 of their own. Kew stayed on top of the game at all breaks and led to a 46-point margin at full time.

Prahran assistant coach Patrick Marks acknowledged Kew’s intensity. “Kew certainly came to play, and we were very slow out of the gates,” he said. “We struggled to get any momentum for the whole day.”

Marks gave credit to a few of his regular standouts, though: “Rory Brodie led from the front all day, Liam Hepburn was very strong in defence, and Tom Cotter was very impressive once again.”

Kew currently hold on to fourth spot on the division ladder by a wide percentage margin. However, their rivals from last year, Oakleigh, are right on their tail, matching them for points but far behind on percentage.

Round 11 will be a big week for the layout of the top four, with Kew hosting Oakleigh, in what will be a battle for who will hold fourth spot heading into finals footy. Prahran will have a competitive matchup themselves, as they face top of the ladder Preston in an away game.