Milestone man Irving kicks six & Elsternwick make a statement

Aquinas 5.12 (42) def by North Brunswick 8.12 (60)

North Brunswick took another positive step in their fight for survival as they defeated Aquinas by 18 points away from home. 

Both sides struggled to score in the first quarter, with the Bulls leading by 10 points at the first change. 
“The pressure was even and it was slingshot footy both ways,” Aquinas coach Josh Quinlan said. “We unfortunately didn’t make the most of our opportunities in front of goal in the first, whereas they did.” 

North Brunswick came out of quarter-time on fire, kicking five goals in a row. Aquinas responded with two late goals in the second, but the Bulls still led by 31 points at half-time. 

“The second quarter was probably our best period of the game,” North Brunswick coach Domenic Fontana said. “We put a big focus on our forward-half pressure, and that allowed us to generate a number of forward-half intercepts. We were able to capitalise on those opportunities and create the scoreboard separation before half-time.” 

After finishing the second quarter strongly, the Bloods carried that momentum into the third, where they held North Brunswick goalless while kicking three goals of their own, cutting the lead to 16 points at the final change. 

“Credit to Aquinas, they lifted their pressure significantly in the third quarter and that allowed them to work their way back into the contest,” Fontana said. “We were still able to generate scoring opportunities during that period, but only managed behinds, which kept the door open for them.” 

Aquinas had all the momentum heading into the last but were unable to make it count, kicking five behinds without a goal as they ultimately fell by 18 points. 

“I felt like we had the ascendancy in the last,” Quinlan said. “We just couldn’t make the most of our opportunities.” 

“The final quarter was a real arm wrestle,” Fontana said. “Both sides defended well, but I thought our ability to stay composed and continue to compete in the contest was the difference.”  

MHSOB 18.16 (124) def Therry Penola 10.9 (69)

A five-goal-to-one fourth term sealed MHSOB’s fourth win in a row. 

Therry Penola kicked the first two goals of the game, giving them an early lead before the Unicorns responded through star forward Luca Di Lallo, who kicked three in the first term to help his side to a seven-point quarter-time lead.  

MHSOB went into another gear offensively in the second, kicking seven goals to four as their smart decision-making with ball in hand caused problems for Therry Penola.

“During the second term, we started to win more footy in the middle and get better entries for our forwards,” MHSOB coach Sean Lester said. “With three genuine key forwards and a handful of lively other options, we must be a nightmare to match up with.” 

With the Unicorns leading by 27 points at half-time, the Therry Penola coaching group looked to adjust their side.

“At the main break, the coaching group urged the team to move the ball quickly to try and break their defence, with Tom Reymers generating run and Jack Viola moving into the midfield causing MHSOB to react,” Therry Penola coach John Tate said. 

After a high-scoring second term, the third term was less free-flowing, with both sides kicking two goals apiece as MHSOB led by 29 points at three-quarter time.

The Unicorns piled on the goals in the last, with Therry Penola losing a few players to injury as MHSOB ran out 55-point winners.

Will Hellier played a crucial role for MHSOB as the link between the midfield and deep forward entries. Mathew Pereira and Charles Pearson also impressed for the victors.  

West Brunswick 11.4 (70) def Power House 7.6 (48) 

West Brunswick upset premiership contender Power House as the Magpies celebrated Bill Irving’s 250^th game for the club. 

A tight first quarter saw Power House lead by nine points at quarter-time, with their execution proving better than West Brunswick’s early. 

West Brunswick came out of the quarter-time huddle firing, kicking six unanswered goals in the second term to build a 25-point half-time lead.  

“In the second quarter, we were outworked, lost clearances and our forwards were well beaten,” Power House coach Nick Cox said. “It was clearly our worst quarter for the year.”

In contrast, West Brunswick coach Rick Pogari said, “I thought we were outstanding in the second quarter… We executed our gameplan, won the contest, defended really well and made the most of our opportunities going forward.” 

The second half was evenly contested, with both sides kicking two goals apiece in the third and fourth quarters as the Magpies kept Power House at bay. 

“The second half was a good contest,” Pograri said. “Both teams tested each other, but I was really pleased with how we stayed composed and closed the game out.”

The standout performance of the day came from Bill Irving, who kicked six goals in his 250^th game for the club.

“Bill was exceptional,” Pograri said. “To kick six goals in his 250^th senior game was a fitting reward. He epitomises what West Brunswick is about with the way he plays the game and represents the club. It was really special to celebrate his milestone with a win.” 

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South Melbourne 7.13 (55) def by Canterbury 15.9 (99)

Canterbury displayed why they are one of the premier sides in Division 2 as they put in a well-rounded performance against South Melbourne. 

South Melbourne kicked two goals in the first two minutes of the game before Canterbury responded with two of their own. The Cobras led by two points at the first change. 

“We looked really good at the start, playing direct footy with high pressure and lots of boys getting involved,” South Melbourne coach Shaun Gould said. 

“We’re a much better team when our teammates touch the ball early in the game, but our accountability started going out the window at the contest as they started to run a bit more by themselves from all positions.” 

Canterbury extended their lead in the second, kicking five goals to two. They kicked four in a row before the Bloods responded, giving the Cobras a 20-point half-time lead. 

“They got on top and their momentum took control in the second,” Gould said. “They started churning the ball out of the contest nicely, with good drive off the half-back line. We had trouble running with their speed and knew that we had to be accountable and stop their run to have a say in the result.” 

Canterbury’s lead grew after half-time as they held South Melbourne to only three goals while kicking eight of their own. South did have chances to get back into the game; however, inaccuracy cost them as they finished with seven goals and 13 behinds. 

Canterbury coach Steve Brown had high praise for some standout performers. “Robert Ritson played very well down back, Fraser Richards was incredible on the ball all day and Rohan Walmsley was very crafty in his three-goal performance.” 

Elsternwick 19.17 (131) def Whitefriars 7.13 (55) 

Elsternwick made a statement as they defeated Whitefriars in a 76-point drubbing at home. 

Whitefriars started the first quarter the better of the two sides, kicking the first three goals of the game before Elsternwick responded with four of their own.

The Friars added another before the quarter-time siren sounded, giving the visitors a two-point lead at the first change. 

“It was a real arm wrestle early,” Elsternwick coach Oliver Gildea said. “Whitefriars came to play and caught us on the outside in the early part of the game.”

 Elsternwick have produced some of the highest-scoring quarters in Division 2 this season, and their second term was another dominant display. They piled on seven unanswered goals, catapulting them to a 45-point half-time lead. 

“I thought we adjusted really well and as soon as we got our defensive mechanisms right, we beat them at the contest and dominated the territory battle,” Gildea said. 

The third quarter was much more even. Whitefriars responded to their poor second term by kicking three goals in a row before Elsternwick hit back with two of their own to halt Whitefriars’ momentum. 

Elsternwick were ruthless in the fourth quarter, kicking six unanswered goals to turn a 38-point three-quarter time lead into a 76-point victory. 

“Our last quarter was very pleasing because it hasn’t been our strength this year,” Gildea said. “We’ve cost ourselves by being too conservative in big moments late in games, which we spoke about a lot this week.”