Stubbs Kicks Nine as Power House Bounce Back & Canterbury Snap Losing Streak

Power House 22.11 (143) def Aquinas 3.5 (23)

After losing their third game of the season last week in a three-point defeat to Therry Penola, Power House responded in style by thumping Aquinas by 120 points.

Power House started the game strongly, kicking the first six goals of the game, which catapulted them to a 37-point quarter-time lead.

“The chemistry between their mids and forwards was the best I’ve seen this year,” Aquinas’ coach Josh Quinlan said.

“They were winning the ball consistently from the centre clearance, we just couldn’t stop them.”

Power House continued to pile on the goals in the second, while also holding Aquinas goalless in the quarter, giving them a 69-point half-time lead.

“The backs have been good most of the year; they created some really good run and carry and set up many of our scoring opportunities,” Power House coach Nick Cox said.

Power House continued to extend their margin throughout the second half, running out 120-point winners.

Captain Luke Stubbs was the standout for the victors, kicking nine goals, while Harry Officer kicked six.  

Despite the margin, Quinlan thought his side had some aspects of their performance that they could build on.

“We went in with some gameplay ideas for the day, and we were able to execute them, which was good,” he said.

“Maybe not as effectively as we would have hoped, but the base is there. It’s solid, and we are looking to build on that in the last six games.”

Canterbury 14.9 (93) def Elsternwick 12.11 (83)

Canterbury completed a stunning 25-point fourth quarter comeback over Elsternwick to end their three-game losing streak.

It was a tight first quarter, with Elsternwick taking a seven-point lead into the first change. The floodgates opened in the second quarter as Canterbury kicked five goals, while Elsternwick kicked six, giving the Wicks a 15-point lead at the main break.

“The first half was very back and forth, but we got on top in clearance and our forward line looked dangerous,” Elsternwick coach Oliver Gildea said.

“I thought we created some really dangerous overlap run in the second and our forwards capitalised.”

The Wicks’ lead continued to grow in the third as they held Canterbury to only one goal in the term while kicking three of their own. The Wicks went into three-quarter time with a 25-point lead.

“The message at three-quarter time was pretty simple, just to keep our work rate up and be disciplined,” Gildea said.

“There wasn’t anything major in the game that needed changing at that point. We didn’t execute on those plans.”  

Canterbury’s final term was their best, kicking six unanswered goals, three of which were in the first eight minutes of the final term, before a James Boarotto goal put them in front.

Jordan Temopoulos sealed the victory late in the fourth, ending the Cobras’ three-game losing streak.  

Canterbury coach Steve Brown had high praise for Fraser Richards and Oscar Millward.

“Fraser Richards was the man all day,” Brown said. “His intensity at the ball was insane. We had Oscar Millward play his first game of the year. I loved his game. He really stood up when he needed to.”  

West Brunswick 8.12 (60) def by MHSOB 11.10 (76)

MHSOB continued their strong form, claiming the four points over West Brunswick to move into fourth on the ladder.

The Magpies started the game on fire, kicking the first five goals before the Unicorns responded with three late goals in the first quarter.  

“My message pre-game was that West Brunswick are an honest team, they don’t take shortcuts and will force us to be at our best to win,” MHSOB coach Sean Lester said.

“I thought we were okay to start, they were just better at the little things and jumped us.”

The second quarter was tight, with both teams struggling to score as MHSOB kicked two goals for the quarter and West Brunswick one, giving the Magpies a seven-point lead at the main break.

The third quarter was much of the same, with neither team able to break the game open as both sides kicked one goal for the quarter.

“Both sides made some skill errors trying to take the game on… Which probably reflects the defensive pressure. As a result, neither side was consistently able to control the footy or break lines and break away on the scoreboard,” Lester said.

“Both sides defended well, but we probably had the better of the first three quarters… We just didn’t make the most of our opportunities,” West Brunswick coach Rick Pograri said.

The Unicorns broke the game open in the fourth, kicking six goals to one. “I’m really proud that all 22 players contributed,” Lester said.

“Because of that, I think we were confident with our fitness and connection, and we were able to get over them as a group, rather than having two players win us the game.”

Backman Tom Sears was best on ground for the Unicorns as he put on a brilliant defensive display.

“He is from the UK, here for work and in his third year of footy,” Lester said.

“He has worked his way from our thirds to seniors, debuting in the same fixture last year. Since then, he’s solidified a spot, beats his opponent in the backline and makes sound choices with ball in hand.”

North Brunswick 3.13 (31) def Therry Penola 4.6 (30)

North Brunswick made it two on the trot as they defeated Therry Penola in a nail-biting one-point win.

The first quarter was a clear indication of the type of game we were going to see at ATC Cook Reserve; tight and low scoring.

“North Brunswick got on top in the middle early which gave them the lead as we struggled to get the game on our terms,” Therry Penola coach John Tate said.

“At the first break I instructed the group not to overuse the ball as turnovers were hurting us across the middle of the ground,” North Brunswick coach Domenic Fontana said.

“I thought the first half was largely driven by our territory, particularly in the first quarter… We were able to play the game in our front half for long periods, which gave us some control.”

Going into the main break, the Bulls led by nine points. The third quarter was much of the same, with North Brunswick’s inaccuracy on display as they kicked four behinds and no goals, while Therry Penola kicked the only goal of the third term.

“At three-quarter time, the message was pretty simple; back our method… We felt like enough of the game was working for us, so it was about staying composed and trusting what had gotten us into the contest,” Fontana said.

Like most of the game, the final quarter was an arm wrestle, with both teams struggling to score.

The only goal of the term went the way of the Lions; however, it was not enough to secure the four points.

“The last ten minutes, I thought we dominated ground possession and had the ball in our front half for a large portion of the quarter,” Tate said.

“We had opportunities late to win, but they were able to score against the flow. It was a tough contest with both teams deserving to share the points.”

The win leaves North Brunswick just one win away from climbing out of the bottom two as they look to avoid relegation after the bye.

Whitefriars 13.7 (85) def South Melbourne 10.5 (65)

Whitefriars returned to winning ways in a 20-point victory over South Melbourne. The Bloods started the better of the two sides with ruckman Jonno Tims dominating the first quarter, kicking four goals.

“I loved the way the midfield worked… That first quarter was the best the midfielders have worked all season,” South Melbourne coach Shaun Gould said.  

“We did make some adjustments to make that happen. Watching Timsy, a big guy, be dangerous was unreal.”

The second quarter was very even, with both sides kicking two goals apiece. The Bloods led by nine at the main break.

The sides traded goals early in the third before Whitefriars kicked three in a row late in the term, giving them an eight-point lead at the final change.

“We stopped making bad skill errors and were able to reap the rewards for our work, our system was in good stead all day, but when we executed, we were able to have our way with them,” Whitefriars coach Andrew Daou said.

Friars continued that momentum into the fourth quarter, kicking four goals in a row in the first ten minutes, putting the game out of reach.

Despite not getting the four points, the Bloods did see positive individual performances.

“Tom Doyle was best on ground; he was unreal… Jonno Tims was great, Jarmara Firebrace had his best game for the season, Ben Hunt was good again and Oscar Paulke was a freak all day,” Gould said.

The win sees Whitefriars climb to second on the ladder, while South Melbourne remain in eighth with North Brunswick hot on their tail.