Reservoir, South Morang and Watsonia all consolidated their top four spots in Round 6 action of Division 3. Despite some comfortable final margins, all three games were up for grabs in the final term.
For the second week in a row, Heidelberg West looked a slim chance to pull off an unlikely victory early in the final quarter – only to have multiple unanswered goals kicked by its opponent late in the day. The Hawks were 20 points down at the 11-minute mark of the fourth quarter, but Reservoir booted the last seven majors of the game at Crispe Park.
The result was a fitting way for the Mustangs to honour star forward Ashley Flavel, who celebrated his 300th open-age game in style. Flavel was one of his side’s best in the 61-point victory, finishing with a game-high four goals.
Co-captain James McLean-Brunton was the Hawks’ best for the third time in 2014 and moved to second place in the Coaches Player of the Year voting, while Daniel Delchano followed on from a good performance the previous week to be named best for the victorious Mustangs.
Ashley Hobbs pushed to the top of the Division 3 goal kicking ladder with three goals as he helped South Morang to a 33-point win over Parkside at Mill Park Lakes Reserve. The Lions may have been disappointed with the final margin – given that they had 18 more scoring shots.
Hobbs was ably assisted by three other multiple goal scorers – including Anthony Potamidis in his first game for the season.
After being on the receiving end of consecutive triple-digit thumpings in rounds 4 and 5, the Devils showed some grit to be only a goal down at the last break. Darren Gresham, in his first game back from injury, slotted three majors and impressed coach George Lattouf.
Lattouf also liked what he saw in Jason Cousins. Cousins, who had just completed a prior suspension, was named best in his first game for Parkside. Regrettably, forward target Bryan Vance failed to play due to a shoulder injury. The club’s upcoming bye this weekend may help Vance to return without missing too much action.
Watsonia became the first team this year to win first up from the bye when it recorded a 20-point win over St Mary’s at Whatmough Park. The game was tight until the last quarter – when the Saints gradually pulled away.
Saint Jeremy Bennett returned from an injury layoff to kick six majors, while John Perichon continued his stellar season with another best on ground performance for the triumphant visitors.
Despite the loss, the Burra improved dramatically from their ordinary performance the previous week at South Morang. Troy Bickerton was their best, following on from a terrific performance the previous round, while John Desmond continued a strong start to the year.
Round 7 action sees Heidelberg West on the road for the third consecutive week. Once more, it plays a finals contender – this time it is Watsonia at A.K. Lines Reserve. The Saints pushed the Hawks out of the top four last weekend with their win over St Mary’s.
The Hawks have had goals kicked against them in quick succession in the past two weeks and will be keen to reverse this trend. A tight contest is expected this time – even though the Saints won all three encounters with the Hawks by big margins in 2013.
Coming off the bye, unbeaten Thomastown should be a warm favourite to account for St Mary’s at Main Street Reserve, where the clubs will play for the Paul Hopper Cup. At the start of the year, this would have been seen as a 50/50 contest. But the Bears have exceeded everyone’s expectations so far this year – including their own.
Their most recent clash ended in a draw. The Bears will need no reminding that the unexpected result in Round 18, 2013 cost them the double chance heading into the finals. The Burra are yet to really hit their straps but, if they can continue the improvement they showed in Round 6, the game may prove to be interesting.
Reservoir has shown itself to be a premiership contender in its past three wins and now holds second position by a game and percentage – ahead of South Morang. The Lions, too, are looking to prove themselves to be genuine premiership challengers – and a win at Crispe Park would go a long way to establishing their credentials.
