Dunolly have won their third game in a row and moved into seventh place on the Bendigo Bank MCDFNL senior ladder after holding off a determined Harcourt side in a gritty, physical encounter at Harcourt Recreation Reserve.
Dunolly welcomed back Craig Burn and Brett Coombes into the side and it was Burn who put on the first goal of the day from full forward.
The Eagles had the majority of possession of the ball in the opening term and notched up a 14 point lead at the first break.
The second term saw the Eagles put on six goals with Lee Stewart playing a pinnacle role with his close in work and execution of the pill.
Harcourt wouldn’t be shaken off easily however and they put on four goals themselves with Paul Chaplin putting in the hard yards with his running, ensuring he made an impression at most contests.
Matthew Giri was also giving Dunolly a headache with his run and finishing ability and the two were served exceptionally by Mark Oxley who continues to be a premier ruckman and superb deliverer of the ball by hand to his runners.
Aided by the good work of Brett Coombes at half forward who kicked one himself and created opportunities for his fellow forwards, Dunolly was able to take a 28 point advantage into the main break.
The third quarter saw the home side lift their intensity to the next level and they peppered the town end of the ground with ferocious attack. Oxley was proving to be a dominant figure, dragging in marks and dishing off to the likes of Paul McKay and Daniel Smith who drove the footy in long to their forwards.
To Dunolly’s credit, Trevor Ronke, Lachlan Cuningham, Adam Robinson and their fellow backs held fast but not before the apple eaters had worked them overtime and had it not been for inaccuracy, Harcourt could have very well turned the tide. Dunolly answered late in the term with a goal to steady the ship and they were assisted by the sending off of Giri who answered back to the umpires and was given a 15 minute cooling off period for his troubles.
The final term had Harcourt still fighting hard to draw in the deficit, but the Eagles held them out with timely goals to Dion Munkara who impressed all day and Alex Lanjtin who sealed the win with a goal after also taking some great marks in the last term to ward off the opposition’s determined attack. Dunolly would have been sore after the game but pleased to go into the mid season break with a well earned win at a venue that is not easy to get the four points at for a visiting side.
The Eagles won 12.16.88 to 10.7.67
Avoca v Rovers
Rovers defeated Avoca at the Avoca Public Park by 56 points.
Justin Harris played his first game of the season for Rovers and showed that he has not lost any of his touch as he had a number of possessions throughout the game.
It was an even contest in the first quarter but Rovers did have a higher possession rate but they could not capitalise on the scoreboard.
Scott Sellers continued his good form and was deadly accurate when shooting for goal and kicked three for the second term. Matt Hind was gathering possessions for Avoca and proving difficult to outrun as he burst from the middle for the Bulldogs but Avoca was lacking a key forward and could not break through on the scoreboard. Sam Kaye had a shot on goal on the siren but was wide of the mark.
Avoca jumped out of the blocks after half time when Tom Kaye handpassed to Matt Jukes who kicked a great checkside goal. It was goal for goal as Sellers answered and then Butch Kennedy followed with another for Rovers. Lachlan Edwards was getting plenty of the ball for Avoca and was outplaying his tagger in Tony Halliday who was ineffective. Edwards goaled for Avoca, but Justin Harris quickly answered for Rovers. The Magpies kicked away in the final quarter but the margin could have been closer had Avoca been more accurate in front of goal.
Luke Polson was sensational for Avoca down back but he had a tough task to control Harris who finished with five goals, while Brendan Hehir and Scott Sellers dominated the game for Rovers who won 18.12.120 to 8.16.64
Navarre v Talbot
Talbot’s first journey to Navarre was not a happy one as the Grasshoppers exerted their dominance in the first quarter kicking 7.6.48 to 3.1.19.
It was plain sailing for the remainder of the game as Daniel Parkin and Ben Martin were racking up the possessions while Zack Parry filled the role of the injured Sam Robertson, kicking four goals for the game.
Luke Vander May is having a stellar season for the Hawks and was once again the best player for Talbot as they lost to Navarre. 7.4.46 to 21.14.140
Natte Bealiba v Campbells Creek
Alex Collins had five goals on the board in the first quarter, as Natte kicked seven goals to two against Campbells Creek at Natte Yallock on Saturday, with the Swans eventually winning in convincing fashion by 90 points.
Lachlan Cameron was outstanding in the Ruck and Alexander Pollock played well in the midfield role. Collins finished with ten goals and Mark Fitzgerald was also serviceable in his second game for the club finishing with three goals.
Natte won 23.11.149 to 6.3.39
Newstead v Maldon
Maldon were quick off the mark as they set up a winning break in the first term kicking 5.4.34 to 0.2.2. The winning margin at the final siren was 39 points.
Hayden Kelly and Shaun Burchell were both lively around the middle while Christian Kelly and Matt Kile both finished the game with five goals for the Bombers.
Newstead actually won the second half and kicked seven goals in the final quarter but the damage was done earlier, and the margin was too much to peg back. Casey Zepnick impressed for Newstead while Jason Baker, who has been shining in the Reserves, played well at senior level this week as did Scott Timmins.
Newstead will welcome the break this week and be hoping that a number of players on the injured list will be available for the next round.
Maldon won 16.16.112 to 11.7.73
Royal Park v Lexton
Lexton travelled to Hedges Oval to take on Royal Park in the battle of the Tigers and the Lexton Tigers were victorious by 160 points as they completely dominated their opposition.
Jay Robins and Matt Brown scored 20 goals between them with Robins proving to be difficult to match up on finishing with 12 goals. His brother Casey was very good on ball and helped to set up the scoring opportunities for Brown and Robins.
Royal Park was competitive in the final quarter with Brendan Birch, Linden Anderson and Nick Perry trying hard but they were no match for the visiting team. Lexton won 30.11.199 to 5.9.39
Trentham v Carisbrook (Sunday)
It was a close match between Trentham and Carisbrook at Trentham on Sunday.
The Saints got the early advantage when they posted two quick goals in the opening term and looked to be full of running. Carisbrook responded with two goals to Nathan Wright who was proving to be a handful up forward and Ryan Morgan was getting plenty of ball for the Redbacks. Trentham led at the first change and when Dan McGregor slotted the first two goals of the second term, they were out to a 20 point lead, but this was quickly reduced to 3 points when Carisbrook kicked the next three goals.
Trentham were on a high at half time when Ty Priest goaled after the siren to give his side an 8 point lead as the Saints excitedly gathered in a group and ran off the field together.
Their excitement was short lived though as Carisbrook took control in the third term with Andrew Tatchell gathering numerous possessions and the Redbacks looked to control the game for the remainder of the game, until late in the final term, when the Saints reduced the margin from 26 points to 8 points with three quick goals to Ty Priest, who had been well held by Liam Offer throughout the game. The Saints were storming home but the lead was too much too reel in and the Redbacks won by 7 points in an exciting finish to the game. 13.10.88 to 11.15.81
Last Modified on 07/06/2011 10:41