MCDFNL Match Reviews – Round 12
Natte Bealiba v Maryborough Rovers
Natte Bealiba has moved into third place on the MCDFNL ladder, leapfrogging Lexton after a hard-fought win over Maryborough Rovers.
With Lexton going down to Navarre in their clash on Saturday, the Swans’ superior percentage took them to third place following a 30-point win over a brave Magpies outfit.
Despite being undermanned and undersized, Rovers took the fight to the Swans in the 14.13 (97) to 9.13 (67) loss.
The Magpies’ collective intent to make Natte fight tooth-and-nail for every possession was clear from the start, as they harassed and harangued Natte’s regular ball carriers and shut down delivery to the Swans’ forwards, resulting in just a four-point lead to the more favoured Natte team at quarter time.
The scrappy brand of football continued in the second stanza, as the match devolved into a dogfight of rolling mauls and stoppages, with both teams under plenty of pressure when in possession of the ball.
However, Natte was able to make better use of possession heading into attack, particularly via regular ruckman Lachlan Cameron, who spent the majority of the day in attack and finished with four goals, helping the Swans to a 35-point half time lead.
However the home side was put on the back foot in the second half, as a ferocious Magpies outfit threw everything they could at their opponents, continually intercepting the Swans’ forward thrusts and turning them into attacking forays of their own, booting four third-quarter goals to Natte’s two, slashing the difference between the two sides to 25 points at the final break.
The Magpies made further inroads into Natte’s lead, drawing as close as two goals in the final term, before the Swans managed to kick away as the quarter wore on, eventually stretching the lead back out to five goals by the time the final siren sounded.
Along with Cameron’s haul of four, Zac Perez booted another three goals, while Brent Mortlock, Trent Mortlock and Matt Stagg snagged two apiece. Key defender Jack Kennedy was named as Natte’s best performer for his efforts in the backline, while midfielders Jacob Long, Brent Mortlock and Tom Douglas all excelled in the congested conditions.
Karson Guareschi slotted three majors for Rovers, as did Dylan Gibson, while key target Brendon Hedger kicked two. Hedger, Aaron Westbrook, Gibson and veteran Brad Fraser were the Magpies’ best in a spirited effort.
Campbells Creek v Talbot
Campbells Creek has moved ahead in the MCDFNL’s race for eighth place, making their way into finals contention with a 27-point win over fellow contender Talbot.
With both the Creekers and the Hawks figuring in a five-way race for the competition’s last finals place, a six-goal haul from Luke Ashmore was enough to get the Magpies over the line on their home turf, 13.7 (85) to 8.10 (58).
A four-goal to two first term helped the Creek establish an early lead, and forced the Hawks into catch-up mode for the rest of the day.
By the time the siren sounded for the main break, some hard work from Talbot had slashed the difference between the two sides to just eight points, 6.3 (39) to 4.7 (31), as the Hawks struggled for accuracy in front of goal.
The Pies responded stronglyin the third term however, kicking four third-quarter goals to Talbot’s one, extending their lead to 25 points at the final change.
Despite three goals for Talbot in the final term, the Creek responded in kind, running out victors by 27 points at the final siren.
Along with Luke Ashmore’s six majors, which earned the forward best afield honours, his brother Mark booted three, as did Anthony Taylor. Jayden Molloy, Brandon Greenwood and Dylan Gordois were other key performers for the Pies.
Talbot’s goalkicking honours were spread amongst eight players, while Josh Sullivan, Liam Belcher, Tom Carroll and Tim Solomon were Talbot’s best.
Navarre v Lexton
Navarre has defeated Lexton to win the inaugural Bibby-Fisher Shield at the Navarre Recreation Reserve on Saturday in a very exciting encounter in which the lead changed six times for the game, but it was the third term that was most exciting with the lead changing hands five times. including five times in the third quarter as Navarre set up their eventual 18 point win.
In a physical clash , scoring was difficult in the opening term and it took until the tenth minute until Billy Parry found Daniel Reading on the outside of a pack with a slick handball that saw Reading break the drought to post the first goal of the game. This goal was quickly answered when Brent Flood made a rare mistake and turned the ball over to Luke Evans from a kick in from Full Back and he slotted the goal to level the scores. Lachlan Murray then marked deep in the forward pocket and goaled from a very difficult angle to give Lexton a four point lead at quarter time.
The Tigers had the upper hand early in the second quarter courtesy of Scott Clark who goaled under pressure, then he hit the leading Matthew Brown with a pass from the next forward entry and all of a sudden Lexton were leading by 16 points and were full of confidence. While the Tigers were handling the ball better and looked to be the dominant team, Navarre continued to apply pressure and eventually the tables turned and it was the Grasshoppers that finished the quarter strongly with late goals to Cody Driscoll and Jesse Hannett to reduce the half time margin to just two points in favour of the Tigers.
Navarre started strongly with goals to Bryce Tickner and Ben Scott from the first two forward entries of the third term, but the Tigers were quick to answer the challenge with goals to Matt Brown and Riley Browne for the Tigers to regain the lead. It was then goal for goal in a very exciting third term, before two late goals to Navarre coach Daniel Parkin gave the Grasshoppers a six point advantage at the final break.
Jesse Hannett snapped a goal from Navarre’s first foray into their forward line in the final quarter followed by a Cody Driscoll goal and the crowd could be forgiven for thinking it was game over. But the Tigers had other ides as they continued to pressure the league leaders and two quick goals to Murray and Clark reduced the margin to ten points at the twelve minute mark. Sam Kaye snapped a goal from a boundary throw in four minutes later give the Grasshoppers some breathing space, but this goal was answered by Matt Brown to keep the Tiger’s fight alive. The Tigers fought the game out to the end, but the sealer came when Josh Fowkes took a strong contested mark in the goal square and his goal gave the Grasshoppers a eighteen point victory in what would be one of Navarre’s toughest contests for the season.
Brent Flood and Billy Parry’s run out of defence was a major factor in the Grasshoppers victory and others to shine for the Grasshoppers were Sam Kaye, Jayden Fowkes, Louis Hannett and Ash Driscoll.
Nigel Reid was outstanding in the ruck for the Tigers, while Scotty Clark and Jimmy Templeton were also very good contributors around the ground, as was Dylan Barr and Mick Jennings was very strong across half back.
Navarre 12.9.81 def Lexton 10.3.63
Dunolly v Newstead
Newstead are back on the winners list after a comfortable 35 point victory over Dunolly at Deledio Reserve on Saturday.
The Steaders lead at quarter time by thirteen points and continued to increase their lead as the game progressed. The Eagles did match Newstead in the final quarter, but the game was well in the Steaders keeping at three quarter time and they were able to cruise to their second win of the season.
Michael Dalrymple was once again credited as the Steaders best player and is having a stellar season alongside fellow young gun Joel Smith who was also important. The Roos shared the scoring load, with four players in Adrian Conn, Jonty Entwistle, Oscar Lynzaat and Joel Thomas all kicking two goals apiece.
Joe Thompson and Jamie Townsend tried hard in the engine room for Dunolly and Grant Raven and Jamie Blackwell were also amongst the better players for the Eagles, while Matt Gibbs was the major goal scorer with two goals.
Newstead 10.13.73 def Dunolly 5.8.38
Maldon v Avoca
Avoca has continued their winning run with a 26 point victory over the Maldon Bombers at the Bill Woodfull Recreation Reserve on Saturday to keep their finals aspirations alive and move into ninth spot on the MCDFNL ladder.
The Bulldogs have always had trouble playing the small ground at Maldon and Saturday was no different as they continually became bottled up in the pockets, however they were able to figure it out and score an important win.
The first quarter was an even contest, with Avoca gaining the advantage to lead by seven points at quarter time, but it was the second quarter in which the Bulldogs gained the upper hand with a four goal quarter and keeping the Bombers to just two majors for the term.
The remainder of the game was played on an even keel, although Maldon put a scare through the Avoca camp as they closed to within six points in the final term, but Haydn Slater snapped a left foot goal midway through the term to spark the Bulldogs into action, and to kick away in the final term to win their third game on the trot.
The Bulldogs shared their thirteen goals amongst ten individuals, while Mick Henningsen, Haydn Slater and Toby Beavis were again amongst the Bulldogs best players, with Cameron Holland, Bryce Howell and Jake Nicholson also performing well.
For Maldon, Hayden Kelly, Shaun Burchell and Vaughan Williams were the key contributors, and were supported by Josh Pascoe, Kyle Winstanley and Matt Gray.
Avoca 13.9.87 def Maldon 9.7.61
Harcourt v Royal Park
Royal Park has kept its top four dreams alive, scrapping its way to an 11-point victory over Harcourt on Saturday.
While the Tigers remain two games off behind fourth-ranked Lexton, Bushy still remains in the hunt for the double chance come finals time after the Tigers saw off the Lions, 17.8 (110) to 15.9 (99) in a high scoring affair on Harcourt’s home turf.
A six-goal haul from Murray Bond was the catalyst for Royal Park’s victory, with the Tigers’ key signing making a spectacular return from injury.
The Tigers gained a slender, one goal-advantage in the opening term, and never looked back, stretching the buffer to 18 points by the main break.
Harcourt did manage to claw their way back into the game in the third quarter, however, and made the Tigers fight for the win, booting five third-term goals to prune Royal Park’s lead back to just a solitary goal, setting things up for a hard-fought final term.
It was the Tigers who prevailed however, keeping the Lions at bay and notching up win number eight with a four-goal to three final quarter.
Along with Bond, one of the Tigers’ other key players, Jake Pring, made his presence felt on the scoreboard with three goals, while Zac Stewart and Josh Brown snagged two apiece.
Stefan Pye was named best afield yet again with another standout performance, along with Jay Anderson, Bond and Chris Morley.
Adam Ward was Harcourt’s major avenue to goal with four goals, while Joel Smith (three), Matt Giri (three) and Adam Pollock (two) also contributed. Jeff McMurtrie, Josh Collinson, Pollock and Alan Mack were named Harcourt’s best.
Trentham v Carisbrook
Carisbrook has continued on their winning way after handing Trentham a football lesson on Sunday at Trentham Reserve to defeat the Saints by 83 points in their eleventh successive win.
Jack Ross was the key forward for Carisbrook in the absence of Nathan Wright, Matt Bilton and Brady Neill and he finished with five goals, while Travis Cornwill and Mitch Whelan also scored three goals apiece. Jake Bucknall was best on the ground and Travis Cornwill continued with his outstanding form for the 2015 season. Cornwill has been in very good form in the Reserves this season and has continued to produce this form in the seniors in recent games. The Redbacks have a number of senior players missing through injury, but youngsters such as Whelan and Riley Herd have relished the opportunity to show what they can do at senior level and were very impressive at Trentham on Sunday.
While Trentham was no match for the Redbacks, Luke Whitehouse, Brendan James and Chris Whelan gave their all for the Saints, as did Lewis Bruton and James Wicker, but it was a tough chore to overcome one of this season's premiership contenders who never looked to be under any threat throughout the game.
Carisbrook won 18.15.123 to Trentham 5.10.40
Last Modified on 20/07/2015 12:32