CYs shock De La to keep survival hopes alive – Premier B Men’s Round 15 Review

De La Salle 12.9 (81) def by Williamstown CYMS 13.8 (86)

Williamstown CYMS kept their Premier B Men’s survival aspirations alive with a five-point, come-from-behind win against De La Salle on the weekend.

In blustery conditions at Waverley Oval, the CYs made the most of the breeze in the final term, overcoming an eight-point deficit to win a thriller.

Harrison Miller proved the hero for Williamstown, kicking the winning goal at the 22-minute mark of the final term.

The win lifts the CYs up to ninth spot, and they remain one game from safety with three to play, while De La still sits in second place despite the defeat.

Williamstown CYMS coach Con Terzoglou said the result made for a special day for the club.

“Every win is a great win, but that was a heartstopper,” Terzoglou said.

“When you don’t get many (wins), but you find one on the road, it’s genuinely fantastic… We were better at executing, and I think that was on the back of last week’s learnings.”

De La coach Nick Hyland said brief periods in the game proved costly for his side.

“It felt like we dominated large portions of the game, but had poor lapses in quarters, particularly in the second quarter, where we conceded five goals in time-on,” Hyland said.

“We thought in the last quarter we didn’t help ourselves when we moved the ball. We invited transition from the opposition. It’s one that got away from us, but congratulations to Con and his players.”

Old Carey 21.10 (136) def Old Melburnians 7.12 (54)

Old Carey are still above the drop zone after one of their best performances of the season, crushing Old Melburnians by 82 points at Carey Sports Complex.

The Panthers burst out of the blocks, booting seven goals to one in the opening term, and were rarely troubled on their way to victory.

The headline act was Charlie Grummitt, who terrorised the Oms’ defence on his way to a season-high nine-goal haul.

The Panthers remain a game clear of the relegation zone, while the OMs lost almost 7% in percentage over the weekend, but remain in third place.

Old Carey coach Luke Giles said the fast start played a key role in the victory.

“We thought we had them on the back foot early and once we got a bit of confidence back things seemed to fall our way,” Giles said.

“It’s really nice to have a fairly healthy list of players to be picking from, and with that the training standards have improved, and there’s a little bit of selection pressure, too… I think the weekend was a product of a little bit of everything.”

Old Melburnians coach James Byrne said there were few positives to take away from the result.

“Plain and simple, we were beaten in every facet of the game, and we didn’t turn up to play,” Byrne said.

“We need to respond.”

Old Geelong 14.11 (95) def Old Ivanhoe 9.12 (66)

A blistering final term from Old Geelong played a vital role in powering away from Old Ivanhoe, securing a 29-point win.

After leading by just one point at three-quarter time, a five-goal final quarter from the OGs proved decisive, as they helped themselves to a strong win.

Leading goalkicker Tom Gorrell continued his tremendous season, bagging another six goals, while Rohan McKenzie led the way for the Hoers with three.

The OGs remain in seventh place but sit just one win outside the top four, while Old Ivanhoe have slumped to 10^th, and become the first team to be officially ruled out of the running for finals.

Old Geelong coach Nick Dixon was impressed with how his players were able to secure victory after a slow start.

“Our starts have generally been good this year, but Old Ivanhoe brought the heat and were good early,” Dixon said.

“Early on we were just playing too risky a game with turnovers and playing it on their terms with a ping-pong style of play.

“We tidied a few things up and were able to lock things down a bit more and get things back on our terms.”

Old Geelong have an opportunity to maintain the pressure on the top four this weekend with a trip to face Old Carey, while Old Ivanhoe will host Old Melburnians, as they fall to two games away from safety.

AJAX 6.11 (47) def by Beaumaris 15.10 (100)

Beaumaris landed a heavy blow in a rematch of last year’s Premier C Men’s Grand Final, defeating AJAX by 53 points at Trevor Barker Beach Oval.

Having lost their previous encounter by two points earlier this season, the Sharks showed no mercy this time, keeping the Jackers goalless at half-time, before going on to win big.

Despite having won fewer than half their games so far this season, the Sharks now sit in the top half of the ladder, just one win outside the top four and boasting a healthy percentage.

AJAX, meanwhile, have slipped further down the ladder to finish the weekend in sixth position, although are still only one win outside the top four.

Beaumaris coach Josh Bourke said the result has reflected the team’s improvement over the course of the year.

“Defending is something we’ve done pretty well for a few years, but sometimes have lacked the firepower up front,” Bourke said.

“I just thought we actually looked as slick going forward as we have in a while. It’s been a real growth year for us; I’m proud of the group, to be honest.”

AJAX coach Lachie Buszard said the team’s inaccuracy in the opening term proved costly.

“We started really well. We provided a good contest in the opening term,” Buszard said.

“But we only kicked 0.6, which doesn’t help. It’s a pretty ordinary place to be considering where we were halfway through the year.”

Old Camberwell 3.7 (25) def by Collegians 16.12 (108)

Collegians continued on their merry way as they swept past Old Camberwell, securing a massive 83-point victory at Gordon Barnard Reserve.

Despite the Wellers coming into the game in reasonable form, the Lions flexed their defensive muscle to keep them goalless in the first half.

The goals were shared around for the Lions, with Alexander Lukic booting four, while Hugh Johnson kicked three.

The Lions now lead the chasing pack by seven games, while the Wellers remain in fourth place despite the loss, although they suffered a 9% hit on their percentage.

Collegians coach Jordie McKenzie was pleased that his team were able to come away with a victory once again, but that there was still plenty to work on.

“It was a solid performance against Old Camberwell. Our intent to get after the ball and apply good pressure to the opposition held us in good stead,” McKenzie said.

“At times we were inefficient going forward and will look to tidy up this part of our game.”

Collegians will look to move to 16-0 this weekend when they host Williamstown CYMS, while Old Camberwell will try to consolidate their spot inside the top four when they host AJAX.