Royal Park v Talbot
Talbot travelled to Hedges Oval on Saturday to take on Royal Park in what was expected to be a close encounter, but Royal Park controlled the game from the opening bounce and won in very convincing fashion.
Tigers forward Zac Stewart got the home team off to a good start with three goals from the first three forward entries of the game. He out-marked Karl Gunther to score the first two goals before Talbot moved Josh Cunningham on to him, but Stewart outpointed him and marked on the lead and kicked truly for his 3rd goal in six minutes.
Tom Sutherland answered for the Hawks when he goaled on the run, but Royal Park dominated possession and moved the ball well on the wide open spaces of Hedges Oval, while Talbot was constantly under pressure whenever they were in possession.
Jay Anderson was outstanding throughout the game, and a highlight in the opening term was when the talented playmaker kicked an amazing checkside goal from tight on the boundary to give the Tigers a 37 point lead at quarter time.
Talbot scored the first goal of the second quarter when Matt Smith outmarked Matthew Walker in the goal square, but it was to be the only score that the Hawks would kick for the term as Royal Park continued to lead their opponents to the ball, particularly Jay Anderson who set up Zac Stewart for his 4th goal of the game and then followed with another one of his own to have the Tigers finish the first half leading by 47 points.
Talbot came out for the second half with much more endeavour and had the ball in their forward half for the first ten minutes of the term, but inaccuracy was costly as they scored five behinds in a row before Trent Barras finally goaled at the ten minute mark. Royal Park then wrestled back control of play and once again it was Jay Anderson who had snuck forward to receive a uncontested mark and he kicked his third of the game, then Zac Stewart followed with his fifth goal when Brendan Birch took advantage of some loose checking on the Tigers full forward.
The Tigers proved to be too good for the Hawks as they ran away with the game in the final quarter. The run of Anderson, Birch, Jarrod O’Connor and Ben Clay showed out for the Tigers and the finishing work of Stewart with six goals and Anderson with three goals was outstanding as the Tigers won by 69 points.
Royal Park 15.10.100 to Talbot 4.7.31
Maryborough Rovers v Lexton
Maryborough Rovers jumped out of the blocks to surprise Lexton on Saturday at Jubilee Oval with Graeme Kennedy kicking two first quarter goals and Karson Guareschi scoring one, as the Magpies led the Tigers at quarter time by eight points.
Lexton regained their composure after the break and started to mount a challenge and eventually took the lead midway through the term to lead at half time by 14 points.
The Tigers exerted their authority after half time and showed the Magpies a clean pair of heels as they kicked away to lead by 54 points at the final change.
To Rovers credit, they were very competitive in the final term and matched the Tigers on the scoreboard to keep the final margin to 54 points.
The tussle between Ty Stewart and Darren Jolly was a very good battle and Stewart can hold his head high as he was very competitive against the big ruckman, while Dion & Brendon Hedger also did a good job on Jolly when he was resting up forward. Jolly kicked three goals for the game with two of the goals coming in the dying stages of the game.
Daniel Chester and Jimmy Templeton very good for the Tigers as was Lachlan Pryor, while James Cusack finished with five goals and Matt Brown finished with four goals.
It was a team effort from Rovers, with Brad Fraser leading the way, while Dion Hedger, Ty Stewart and Matt Stiles were all under notice, but the Tigers were too good for the Magpies and always had the game in hand after half time.
Lexton 18.15.123 to Maryborough Rovers 11.3.69
Harcourt v Dunolly
Crucial game for Harcourt against Dunolly last Saturday and it looked early like it would be a close encounter, with Harcourt leading by just a point at the first break after Dunolly spearhead Jesse Olsen booted four first-quarter goals.
However the Lions tightened up on Olsen for the remainder of the game and this quelled the Eagles attacking moves, allowing them to only score three more goals for the game.
The Lions outscored Dunolly by seventeen goals to three for the final three quarters, with Chris Stone and Jacob Fitzpatrick both kicking five goals apiece.
Fitzpatrick, Jackson McMahon and Paul Chaplin were very good around the ground for the Lions, while Tim Falszewski and Nick Matricardi also led the way in their 86 point victory which, with Campbells Creek and Talbot both losing at either week of the split round, keeps their finals hopes alive as they sit just a game behind both the Magpies and Hawks.
Dunolly Coach, Tony Bellenger tried hard all day and was supported by Lee Jackson, Jamie Townsend and Joe Thompson, but Eagles were outclassed by a much better team.
Harcourt 21.11.137 to Dunolly 7.9.51
Trentham v Navarre
Navarre showed that the long trip to Trentham did not bother them as they were untroubled to win by 99 points at the home of the Saints.
The writing was on the wall after the Grasshoppers kicked six goals to one for the first term which was to be the pattern of the day.
Bryce Tickner was unstoppable as he ran the ball forward on numerous occasions and it was Nick Murphy who was the key goal scorer with four goals, while Kris Brennan, Ash Driscoll and Tom Hannett kicked three goals apiece, but the Grasshoppers shared the goals amongst ten different players, as they scored a comfortable victory.
Mark Strickland provided some opposition for the Saints and was their only multiple goalkicker and he received some support from Chris Whelan, James Gray and Elliot Drew, but they were no match for the premiership favourites, who went into the game without Brent Flood, Sam Robertson and Cody Driscoll.
The Grasshoppers have an easy finish to the season with Maldon and Dunolly in the next two rounds and will be looking to fine tune their game before the final series.
Navarre 20.9.129 to 4.6.30
Last Modified on 11/08/2014 08:33