Prahran Bounce Back & Kew Hunt Top Two

Oakleigh 21.13 (139) def Monash Blues 6.2 (38)

With seven players coming back from injury this week, Oakleigh hit the ground running, winning the first quarter by 35 points and eventually defeating Monash by 101.

The Blues struggled to impact the scoreboard, with only six goals for the afternoon. Oakleigh, led up forward by leading goalkicker Rogan Kitts, was able to kick 21 for the day, despite only having three multiple-goal scorers.

For Monash, forward Will Snookes continued his goal-scoring form with two of his side’s six.

Still sitting second in the Division 1 goalkicking, Snookes two for the day couldn’t keep up with Kitts. With seven for the afternoon, Kitts has broken further away into top spot, leading 48 goals to Snookes’ 42.

Oakleigh coach Chris Worner was glad to get some reward after his side’s efforts during a tough month.

 “After a month of footy riddled by injuries (with 10-12 out), it’s been tough but credit to the boys’ resilience during a tough period.”

Worner had several standouts for the game, primarily the midfield group with James McLachlan dominating in the ruck and “Jack Iverson had over 40 possessions and was easily our best.”

Further standouts were Ollie Thomson, returning from injury, who Worner said “had almost 10 shots on goal and was excellent,” and Sam Iverson in defence, who, in his second senior game, kept the dangerous Will Snookes to two goals for the day.

Next round, Monash will be up against Prahran, who continue to battle hard for their top four position. While Oakleigh will be facing the Old Yarra Cobras who remain winless during a season restrained by injury and development.

Preston Bullants 11.14 (80) def Parkside 10.10 (70)

Parkside took the fight to the undefeated Preston Bullants in a valiant effort, but the Bullants have maintained their hold over the top spot in a controlled 10-point victory.

The Bullants took the early lead, nine points at the first break and seven at halftime. The scoring accelerated after the main break, as Preston kicked five goals in the third, with four to Parkside.

Parkside maintained this momentum in the final term, taking the lead 66 to 69. However, Preston proved their class, kicking the last two goals to take back the lead and the 10-point margin that won the game.

After the extremely competitive game, Parkside coach Rick Frost was proud of his group despite the loss, “I was really proud of the team. They gave their all, and it was great to see such a high-standard game.”

Frost had plenty of praise for his players, particularly “Hudson Price was very busy, and Corey McKay was consistent in the backline. Andy McNeil was tough around the contest, and as usual Luke Logozzo was dynamic in defence. Tom Hakins took strong contested marks all game.”

Both sides are now close to locking in a top four spot, particularly the undefeated Bullants side. However, they will hope to keep up the quality performances in Round 13, with Preston facing UHS-VU and Parkside up against Kew.

Prahran 19.16 (130) def UHS-VU 4.3 (27)

Prahran broke their string of defeats on the weekend with a dominant win over University High School – Victoria University in Round 12.

Prahran have maintained their top three position, despite two difficult losses in the last two weeks. This 103-point victory will be a substantial bonus in their drive to keep a top four spot and even break into the dominant top two.

UHS-VU couldn’t get onto the scoreboard in this game, only managing seven points by half-time. While it opened up a touch in the second half, allowing for three more goals and an end score of 27, it wasn’t enough to come close to Prahran’s 19-goal effort and total of 130.

Prahran assistant coach Patrick Marks was impressed by his side’s great team effort. With a few players missing, “was really impressive to see everyone step up and play well on the weekend.”

When acknowledging key standouts, Marks mentioned that, “Mackenzie Mayne was busy in the middle all day. Patrick Ribbands played a key shutdown role for us, and Peter Ahern and Ollie Burke both had great games as well.”

Prahran will travel in Round 13 to face off against the Monash Blues, who themselves are coming off a 100-point margin in their loss. While UHS-VU will be facing top of the table Preston, who continue their dominant run.

St Mary’s Salesian 11.9 (75) def by Kew 14.14 (98)

A high-scoring third quarter wasn’t enough for St Mary’s Salesian to steal the win over Kew, as the Bears held on to win away from home by 23 points.

Kew took an early lead in the match, 23 points at quarter time, and a substantial 42 at the half.

A fiery third term saw St Mary’s keep Kew goalless, and stack on six goals of their own to narrow the margin to six. Despite this rush, Kew responded in the final term, breaking back into the lead and keeping St Mary’s to one goal.

With the margin being four goals, Ned Waters’ efforts for Kew were essential. Kicking four goals of his own to keep him in touch with the top five goal scorers in the division.

Charlie Matthews and Jack Contencin were the multiple goal scorers for St Mary’s.

Next week sees Kew host Parkside, in a potential battle for second place. While St Mary’s host Brunswick, who, while unpredictable, have shown some class at times.

Brunswick 16.14 (110) def Old Yarra Cobras 4.7 (31)

Another large defeat for the Old Yarra Cobras saw them going down by 79 points to Brunswick.

Despite a valiant effort from the developing side, Brunswick were able to expand the margin at every break. With 36 points the gap at half time, and an eventual loss of 16 goals to four.

Brunswick had five multiple goal scorers for the game, as Liam Allman and Jackson Davis kicked four apiece. The Cobras’ limited scoring opportunities were led by Matthew Young with three and Geordie McLennan with one.

Old Yarra will be hosting Oakleigh this coming weekend, who will be using the opportunity to try and break into the top four. While Brunswick will be up against St Mary’s Salesian, who are coming off a hard-fought defeat.