Another second half surge from Whittlesea has seen them claim their fifth consecutive win in the 2024 MC Labour Division 2 competition, defeating Lower Plenty by 61 points at Montmorency Park South Oval.
The Bears had a bright start to the match, leading by 20 points at the 10-minute mark of the second term before the Eagles went to another level, kicking 11 consecutive majors and 14 of the final 16 goals of the match to prevail 17.17 (119) to 8.10 (58).
Despite moving to a 5-0 record, they remain in third position on the ladder behind fellow unbeaten sides Diamond Creek and South Morang, meanwhile Lower Plenty slip to sixth but on the same points as fifth-placed Thomastown.
Whittlesea captain Xavier Dimasi was exceptional once again for his team, finishing in his side’s best for a fifth straight game. His clearance winning ability and disposal efficiency helped the visitors break the game open throughout the second and third terms.
His presence alone helped the Eagles gain ascendancy alongside Jaron Murphy, who did a mountain of work at both ends of the ground to ensure that his side were sound defensively as well as a continuous threat inside 50.
Max Dyson kicked four majors for the away side and was one of five multiple goalkickers for Whittlesea. His excellent major in the second term was arguably the catalyst to Garry Ramsay’s men turning the tables on their opponents.
Jack Morley’s first three senior goals was also a highlight, while Taidhg Bland displayed strong patches of dominance at stoppages throughout the afternoon.
Lower Plenty’s best efforts were led by Joel Leslie, who was influential in the middle of the ground, while always providing a marking option for his teammates down the line.
Seth Hill stood tall in the absence of Patrick Flynn and impressed in his ruck battle with Khaled El-Leissy, especially in the first half. Meanwhile Billy Barden kicked three of the home side’s eight goals for the match, one of those being his 500th senior goal.
An even contest began the NFNL Pat Cronin Foundation Round feature game, with both sides quickly settling into the match.
Lewis Tsourou got things going for the Bears with a nice finish before the Eagles hit back with three straight goals, which included Morely’s first senior major.
Whittlesea were getting the ball inside their attacking half with ease as they prioritised transitioning the football through the corridor, which kept both Dimasi and Taidhg Bland busy in the first quarter.
But the last 10 minutes belonged to Lower Plenty, who fired three successive goals of their own, highlighted by an excellent individual effort from Barden, and a long-range bomb from debutant Toby Johnston.
The Bears led by seven points at quarter time and their momentum continued into the early stages of the second.
Their pressure and ability to force turnovers from Whittlesea put the home side in complete control of the contest, and they rewarded themselves with back-to-back majors from Barden, who helped make it five unanswered goals from Lower Plenty to lead by 20 points.
But an incredible goal on the run from Max Dyson shifted the game into the Eagles’ favour, as his cool finish got the gears turning for his side.
Whittlesea would finish the half with the next four majors of the game and six of the final eight scoring shots of the quarter to lead by 11 points at half time.
Garry Ramsay’s men had multiple opportunities to put the game to bed in the initial stages of the third term, having produced one goal from six scoring shots in the opening 10 minutes.
It allowed Lower Plenty an opportunity to stay in the match, however they were unable to convert their few entries inside 50 into goals, only getting as close as a 20-point deficit.
Whittlesea broke the game open even wider in the last 10 minutes of the third term, kicking three further majors to extend their lead out to 39 points by three quarter time.
The Bears did their best to keep up with their opponents throughout the final quarter, but the Eagles continued to provide all the answers, getting to a run of 11 consecutive majors before a Tyler Wallace goal finally ended the streak.
The visitors finished with three of the final four goals to cap off another brilliant outing for the men in blue and gold.
