Banyule jumped back inside the A Plus Labour Solutions Division 2 top-four with a clinical display to beat Thomastown by 55 points at Main Street Recreation Reserve.
The visiting side was never troubled, leading from start to finish in the comprehensive 14.13 (97) to 5.12 (42) victory, which handed Thomastown its second largest defeat of the season.
It was a fantastic response from last week’s heartbreaking one-point loss to unbeaten Eltham, and the result now sees Banyule move inside the top-four for the first time since Round 7.
It was a costly defeat for Thomastown who slipped down to fifth place after sitting in third spot prior to Saturday’s encounter.
In a game where every quarter surpassed the 30-minute mark, Thomastown could only record its second lowest total for the season in both the first and second halves.
The 55-point defeat saw its percentage take a hit of almost 10, allowing Banyule to surpass them on the ladder on that very statistic.
The performances of Riley Loton, Mannon Johnston, Adam Barclay and Daniel Camilleri were telling in the scintillating display from Banyule.
The winning side finished the day with four multiple goal kickers, with James Kroussoratis, Michael Italia, Bailey Jordan and Barclay all kicking two goals each.
For Thomastown, Matthew Vasilevski was again among the best players. He was helped by the ever-reliable duo in Adrian Natoli and Anthony Capeci in what was a trying day for the home team.
Banyule was clearly the better side from the outset. In an opening term which saw just the three goals kicked, they all came the way of the visitors as they opened a 15-point advantage at the first break.
A week after scoring arguably its season-best win over Diamond Creek, Thomastown managed just five behinds in the opening term – its lowest first quarter score of the season.
The second quarter started in similar vein, as Michael Italia won a holding the ball free kick and made his opponents pay when he slotted his second goal of the day.
Thomastown finally found the middle of the big sticks through Anthony Capeci, who slotted his set shot for an instant reply.
A couple of goal exchanges would see out the first half, as Banyule went into half time with a commanding 27-point lead.
As predicted, the clouds opened for several minutes in the third term, but the rain did little to put a dampener on Banyule’s dominance. The away side kicked the first three goals of the third quarter to open a match-winning 47-point lead.
The lead blew out to 50 points at the final break, before a two-goal to one final term in favour of the visitors saw them run out better than nine-goal victors.
Next up, Banyule hosts Diamond Creek in a crucial Round 12 match, whilst Thomastown will be looking for an immediate response when it travels to Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval to take on the Fitzroy Stars.
Final score: Thomastown 5.12 (42) def by Banyule 14.13 (97)
