MHSOB make it five in a row & Elsternwick survive scare

Canterbury 18.12 (120) def Aquinas 13.9 (87)

An eight-goal first-quarter blitz from Canterbury helped secure their 10^th win of the season as they defeated Aquinas by 33 points.

Canterbury kicked the first five goals of the game before Aquinas registered their first major of the day.  

“They were switched on from the start,” Aquinas coach Josh Quinlan said. “We were very slow to get out of the blocks and a little uncompetitive in the first eight minutes.

“I remember looking up at the scoreboard and seeing five goals in the first six minutes. At the end of the day, that was the difference in the game.”

Aquinas improved their attacking play in the second term, kicking four goals. However, they were unable to restrict the hosts, who added another five majors to increase their 37-point quarter-time lead to 41 points at half-time.

“It felt like we won the quarters after that, but we would take our foot off the gas and that’s when they would score,” Quinlan said.

“We would work hard and do well for a goal, and they would kick one quickly after. We just couldn’t kick consecutive goals to build more momentum our way.”

Aquinas outscored Canterbury in the second half, kicking seven goals to Canterbury’s five, but the Cobras were able to restrict Aquinas from getting within touching distance.

“The boys played a little more freely, with the mentality of we have nothing to lose but everything to gain in the second half,” Quinlan said.

“We ran a lot harder and put more onus on our moments with the footy. We were able to bang a couple of goals in a row and build some momentum, but it wasn’t enough to get it done at the end of the day.”

Whitefriars 13.8 (86) def Power House 10.12 (72)

Whitefriars defeated Power House in a game with serious finals implications, leaving the visitors outside the top four with four games remaining.

Whitefriars had the ascendency in the first but were unable to capitalise on their opportunities, managing one goal while restricting Power House to two behinds.

“It was a high-pressure game that made it difficult to score,” Whitefriars coach Andrew Daou said.

“We unfortunately didn’t take our chances in the first, which should have seen the quarter-time and half-time leads being much more significant.”

The Friars found some rhythm in the second quarter, booting five goals to Power House’s one, to give the hosts a 29-point half-time lead.

“In the second, they won the contested ball, were much cleaner than us and made good decisions going forward,” Power House coach Nick Cox said.

“I felt we got back into it late in the second quarter through winning the contest and clearances.”

Power House continued to win the contest and clearances in the third, helping them close the gap as they put on six goals to three, cutting the lead to seven at three-quarter-time.

“They started to even out the contest and began to move the ball at pace, but we weren’t ruthless and left the door open rather than slamming it shut,” Daou said.

Power House kicked the first two of the final quarter to give them a four-point lead early in the term.

Whitefriars responded by kicking four of the next five, with the experienced players taking over late in the game.

“The leaders on the field identified what needed to be done and took control, it’s a great sign to see that growth in this group,” Daou said.

The win saw Whitefriars climb back into the top four, while Power House dropped to fifth, behind fourth-placed Elsternwick on percentage.

North Brunswick 10.6 (66) def by MHSOB 15.16 (106)

A five-goal final term from MHSOB sealed their fifth win on the trot, defeating North Brunswick by 40 points away from home.  

Coming off last week’s victory against Aquinas, the Bulls came out with confidence, kicking four goals to two in the opening term, giving the hosts an eight-point lead at the first change.

The Unicorns had their opportunities in the first. However, poor kicking resulted in five behinds.

“I thought we started the game really well,” North Brunswick coach Domenic Fontana said. “Our pressure in the first quarter set the tone and allowed us to play the game on our terms early. We were able to generate good scoreboard pressure off the back of that, which was really pleasing.”

The Unicorns started to convert in the second quarter, kicking four goals to three which reduced North Brunswick’s lead to two points at the main break.

“We got back to level pegging,” MHSOB coach Sean Lester said. “Our physicality and composure with the ball improved, and we had plenty of entries and opportunities.”

MHSOB gained the ascendency in the third, holding the Bulls to two goals while kicking four of their own as the visitors controlled the contest.

“The third quarter was where the game started to shift,” Fontana said. “We lost territory and clearance more consistently, and our pressure numbers dropped away.”

The Unicorns capitalised on their third-quarter momentum as they increased their 12-point three-quarter-time lead to 40 points.

“We wanted to play aggressively with the ball in hand and back ourselves,” Fontana said.

“Unfortunately, by taking that approach we exposed ourselves the other way, and without winning enough clearances or applying enough pressure in the second half, MHSOB were able to capitalise and put the game beyond reach.”

South Melbourne 7.11 (53) def by Elsternwick 6.18 (54)

Elsternwick secured a crucial win in the finals race, beating South Melbourne in a nailbiter.

Both sides struggled to convert their chances into goals all day. Elsternwick kicked two goals for six behinds in the first while the Bloods kicked one goal for three behinds in the opening stages.

“Both teams had opportunities in the first quarter to put a dent in the scoreboard,” South Melbourne coach Shaun Gould said.

“We were super positive though because we played the game style that we needed to.”

South Melbourne was able to hit the scoreboard more effectively in the second, kicking three goals and three behinds.

Once again, Elsternwick failed to convert their chances as they kicked two goals for four behinds as they led by four points at half-time.  

The Wickers’ poor conversion continued in the third as they kicked seven behinds for one goal while South Melbourne kicked two goals, giving the visitors a three-point three-quarter-time lead.  

“We kicked the ball inside 50 to the dead pocket far too often, which made it hard to capitalise on our shots,” Elsternwick coach Oliver Gildea said.

South had plenty of momentum throughout the day. However, Elsternwick’s backline was at their stingy best.  

“We would have had the majority of the momentum in the game, which is disappointing, with the way the scoreboard ended up,” Gould said.

“But credit to their backline, they were strong and ours was as well. I really do think both backlines had a day out, credit to both teams.”

South hit the front early in the fourth through Nic Broomfield, who grabbed the ball out of the ruck and kicked it over his shoulder for a goal, before Elsternwick responded through Dylan Jones.

The Bloods had the ball in their forward 50 in the dying stages. However, Elsternwick did enough to hold on.

“The last five minutes were just pure desperation, some incredible tackling and pressure acts got us home,” Gildea said.

Therry Penola 13.8 (86) def West Brunswick 11.7 (73)

A six-goal haul from Patrick Carracher inspired Therry Penola to a 13-point victory over West Brunswick.

The Lions ended the first quarter strongly, kicking four in a row, giving them a 19-point quarter-time lead.

“We got off to a good start by pressuring the ball carrier and we had plenty of forward 50 opportunities which we capitalised on,” Therry Penola coach John Tate said.

West Brunswick lifted in the second quarter, kicking four goals to two, as their stoppage work helped put goals on the board and close the gap to 11 points at half-time.

The third quarter was fairly even on the scoreboard with the sides trading goals, as Therry Penola couldn’t make their dominance count.

“Going into the third I asked the group to work hard defensively and the result would come,” Tate said.

“We had a large possession advantage but couldn’t get away on the scoreboard.”

At three-quarter-time the Lions held a 13-point lead. To make sure they got over the line, Tate made some changes in the middle of the ground.

The teams continued to trade goals in the fourth as West Brunswick were unable to eat into the hosts’ lead as a Jack Campagna snap sealed the victory for Therry Penola.