WATSONIA moved back up to second place when it held out a fast finishing St Mary’s by five points at A.K. Lines Reserve in Round 10.
The Saints excelled in the second term to set up a 24-point half time lead. Burra coach moved Nick Dean into the ruck after half time and this move helped to turn the game.
St Mary’s stormed home with 5.0 to 1.3 in the final stanza to fail narrowly – with inclusions Sean Desmond and Nicholas Daisley doing well.
St Mary’s now sits a game outside the top four at the halfway point of the home and away season.
“We have run out of patience with a few players’ refusal to follow simple instructions,” Burra coach Con Borg said. “There will be a few changes to the way we structure up next week.”
Andrew Bennett stood out for the Saints with five goals in a low-scoring match.
“The mantra today was ‘must win’ – which we executed for three quarters,” Watsonia assistant coach Daniel McCall said. “It was another learning experience for our young team.”
South Morang moved two games clear on top of the ladder after accounting for Reservoir by 25 points at Mill Park Lakes Reserve. The Lions – continuing a trend of brilliant second quarters – booted 8.3 to 2.3 to take a match-winning 45-point lead into the main break.
Despite holding South Morang scoreless in the third term, Reservoir never looked likely to overhaul the deficit after failing to get within two goals of the Lions in the second half.
In game where no player scored more than two goals, the Lions had a dozen goal-kickers. Aaron D’Angelo was among the best for the Lions and teammate Mathew Robinson played his best game for the season.
Michael Mannix excelled for the Mustangs in defence, while Marc Defelice and Danny O’Sullivan both did well after missing early games in the season.
South Morang now goes to the bye well placed to vie for the double chance in the back half of the season.
Banyule snapped a five-game losing streak with a huge win over Heidelberg West at Heidelberg Park. Scott Gumbleton was the focus of attention and he delivered in his NFL debut with a promising performance with an accurate 7.1 on the day.
Flying under the radar somewhat were Josh Luttrell, William Drapac and Adam Barclay – all playing their first games for the Banyule in the NFL. Barclay looked particularly damaging with seven majors as a small forward.
It was a disappointing day for the Hawks. The best for them was Daniel Bailey. Maybe they needed the help of Dane Swan – who was a special guest at the President’s Lunch on the day.
Round 10 action of Division 3 football will be very important in shaping the ladder.
Epping comes off the bye and will host Heidelberg West at Epping Recreation Reserve.
In their only recent contest, the Blues started slowly but pulled away to win by 17 points at Heidelberg Park, when Paul Dempsey and Kyl Ewart both kicked five for their respective sides. The Hawks are still looking for their maiden victory, while the Blues need this win to sure up their spot in the top four.
St Mary’s hosts Reservoir at Whatmough Park. For the second consecutive week, the Burra play a team one win above them on the ladder. The percentage gap means the Burra would probably remain in fifth spot if they snapped a two-game losing streak to win this one.
A win by the Mustangs would consolidate their top four spot. They would be desperate for revenge after having a 15-point lead at the last break, before being overrun by St Mary’s in their Round 4 encounter at Crispe Park.
A rejuvenated Banyule travels to A.K. Lines Reserve to take on Watsonia. Both teams got back on the winners’ board last weekend.
The Saints were two points down at three quarter time, but finished full of running to beat the Bears by 30 points in their Round 4 clash at Beverley Road Reserve. But the Bears side is significantly different to the one that stepped onto the field for that encounter.
Watsonia will move to within one win of top spot if it can overcome Banyule. Meanwhile, the Bears just need to begin stringing a few wins together in order to bridge the gap between themselves and the higher teams.
