WATSONIA produced an exciting and consistent second half of football to defeat Banyule by 17 points at A.K. Lines Reserve in Round 10 of Division 3.
Trailing by 15 points after a poor first half, the Saints fired back and were able to take advantage of Banyule’s poor disposal efficiency to set up a 10.14 (74) to 8.9 (57) victory.
The win sees Watsonia hold onto second place on the ladder, sitting just one game behind league leader South Morang. Meanwhile the loss for the Bears sees them miss the opportunity to take fifth position heading into Round 11.
The first term was a scrappy affair from the first bounce, with both teams producing too many turnovers as well as finding it difficult to convert set shots.
Andrew Bennett was able to kick the first goal of the afternoon and put Watsonia in the lead, however it wasn’t long before Banyule responded.
The visitors kicked three of the next four goals, including two majors from new recruit Scott Gumbleton and a running goal to Riley Williams. The string of goals set the Bears up for five-point lead heading into quarter time.
Saints coach Corey McCall was a little disappointed at the quarter time break, telling his team to start looking for better options and to not blaze away.
In the second quarter, Banyule began to increase its intensity. Despite only kicking 2.2, the Bears were taking plenty of contested marks and were providing a lot of run and carry as they moved forward.
One of the highlights of the second term was Scott Gumbleton’s spectacular contested grab midway through the quarter.
The Saints were struggling to find the same type of motivation, as they wasted the few opportunities they did have, booting just four behinds for the term.
In the third quarter, Watsonia was on the front foot early as Tyson Darley kicked the home side’s first goal since late in the first quarter.
After Gumbleton slotted through his third goal for the Bears, Watsonia started to put the pressure on the visitors and started to pounce on its own opportunities up forward.
Two majors from Andrew Kidd and goals to Andrew Bennett and Hayden Mitchell gave Watsonia a 10-point lead, as well as great confidence, heading into the three quarter time huddle.
Banyule on the other hand had lost the grip it held in the first half. The Bears produced too many turnovers and things didn’t look too flash heading into three quarter time.
Bears coach Jason Plant was trying to give his players the motivation they needed in the huddle, urging his troops to give everything they had in the last quarter.
The final quarter started positively for Watsonia with Bennett dribbling his third goal for the match.
It was followed by a quick reply from the visitors with Michael Italia and Andrew Edwards both slotting home majors to reduce the deficit to just four points.
But that as close as Banyule got as Kidd’s third goal and a Jordon Brown major put the icing on the cake for the Saints, as they banked their sixth win of the season.
Andrew Bennett and Andrew Kidd played terrific games for the Saints, kicking three goals each and provided plenty of opportunities for their fellow forwards.
For the visitors, Ryan Hay and Adam Barclay provided a lot of run and carry to their teammates and created opportunities inside 50.
Watsonia will travel to Heidelberg West in Round 11 to take on the winless Hawks. Banyule has another huge test ahead when it takes on fourth-placed Reservoir at Beverley Road Reserve.
Final score: Watsonia 10.14 (74) def Banyule 8.9 (57)
