WITH seven rounds completed a logjam between second and seventh has left a clear ladder leader and a clear relegation candidate.
Thomastown extended its lead atop the ladder to 10 points after six rounds following a 23-point victory over Hurstbridge. The Bears will come into this week’s game against Diamond Creek as favourites as they look to post a 24th win from their past 25 games.
Four goals in the last 11 minutes allowed the Bears to storm away from the Bridges in Round 6. Julian Terzioski – who booted a goal which orchestrated the Bears’ late charge – was adjudged best on ground, but had support from Matthew Ferraro (four goals), James Rizzolio and Tristain Harrower.
Diamond Creek was unable to move into the top four after some inaccurate kicking in the last quarter cost it dearly against the Fitzroy Stars, failing by only a goal. The Creekers could only manage 3.9 in the last quarter as they mounted a fightback.
Josh Wuelfert was outstanding in the ruck, working together with Jai Norman who was also kicked two goals. Levi de Pyle was also impressive in the loss.
Panton Hill was the other big story to come out of last weekend’s action, completely dominating Mernda to win by 55 points.
The result means the Redbacks are two games ahead of the Demons in the relegation battle, but, more importantly, they are only a game and a half outside the finals race as they welcome Whittlesea.
Tyler Scarce was outstanding for the Redbacks, kicking three goals and consistently feeding the ball out of the midfield in tandem with Nathan Hendry, who himself put in a great performance. Thomas Blake also presented well at centre-half-forward and was rewarded with three goals.
Whittlesea moved up to second following a hard-fought 15-point victory over Lalor. A second quarter lapse saw the Eagles fall 11-points behind at half time. However, the Eagles blitzed Lalor in the third quarter with a five-goal to one onslaught which saw them snatch a three quarter time lead, before holding the Bloods out in the final quarter.
Captain Andrew Fairchild kicked five goals, while Nathan Stefanile continued his impressive start to the season by again featuring in the Eagles’ best. Matt Dornauf was also important, kicking three goals.
Brad Dean’s side will now look to mount some pressure on Thomastown with a victory against the Redbacks – a side they lost to in Round 2.
Third takes on fourth when Fitzroy Stars host Lalor at Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval. The winner will be able to keep a tab on the double chance, while the loser will likely find itself outside the top four at the end of the round.
The Stars moved into third following their tight win over the Creekers. Leading by 21 points at the last change, injuries left the Stats with only two on the bench in the last as they just held out their host.
Youngster Koolyn Briggs was outstanding, helping to feed the likes of Djaran Whyman and John Hayes who kicked two goals each, although Whyman suffered a recurrence of a hamstring injury. Clinton Edwards played a solid game, while Peter Hood was again influential.
Lalor’s loss sees it just half a game inside the top four. Jarrod King and Harley Ryan were outstanding in defeat, while Todd Hughes and Shannon Smith were again among the goal kickers, sharing seven.
Sir Douglas Nicholls hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the Bloods, losing by 100 and 60 points in their two encounters at the ground. However, they also took their first win over the Stars since 2011 in their Round 2 meeting at Lalor Reserve.
Hurstbridge can return to the top four with a victory over Mernda at Schotters Road.
Despite being undermanned, the Bridges held a slender three-quarter-time lead against Thomastown last week. However, they couldn’t stem the tide in the last quarter as the Bears made their move. Brayden Shaw was impressive and kicked two goals, playing-coach Michael Ryan kicked three, and John Kruezer was influential in the air.
Mernda’s position became a whole lot tougher after losing a sixth-straight game to Panton Hill. The loss means last year’s preliminary finalist is staring at relegation, now eight points off the pack.
The Demons’ first half was poor last week, trailing by 46 points by the long change. Brad Kairouz and Matthew Duggan were two of Mernda’s few contributors, as they tried to marshal the defence.
