Eltham moved one game clear in fifth position on the Division 1 ladder with a convincing 43-point win over Lower Plenty at Eltham Central Reserve.
The Panthers were challenged early by a dogged Lower Plenty but their class prevailed as they eased to a 16.17 (107) to 9.10 (64) win.
Lower Plenty was able to create a contested game in the first half but once Eltham began to win more uncontested possession it looked right at home on the expanses of Eltham Central. The Panthers moved the ball with devastating precision and speed and easily cut through the Bears defence.
This attack was led by Tom Rogers who hurt Lower Plenty with his pace and ability to break the lines. Brad Perry was also damaging, kicking two goals and setting up many more with his stoppage work and pinpoint passing.
David Cox was another player whose performance could not be understated. His shutdown role on Matthew Vasilevski was crucial, while his two goals were an added bonus.
Eltham’s height up forward and down back gave it a big advantage. Matthew Williamson kicked four on the undersized Bears backline, with the visitors also unable to cover the loss of brothers Darcy and Billy Barden up forward.
Cam Elmore had to fill the void while keeping his ruck position. He was successful with two goals and some brilliant around the ground work, which contained multiple contested marks.
At his feet, Will Morley and Jackson Powell gave valiant efforts. They provided plenty of pressure and won both the contested ball as well as uncontested on the outside. However, they were susceptible to the odd turnover – a problem that plagued Lower Plenty throughout the afternoon.
Despite being undermanned, Lower Plenty took a lead into quarter time after a tight first quarter. It kept the stoppages frequent and didn’t allow Eltham to run. If it wasn’t for the loss of Jesse Smith to a collapsed lung, it would have been the perfect quarter for the Bears.
In the second quarter Eltham took the lead as its run began to develop. Williamson kicked his first and Eltham’s midfielders began to get involved in the scoring. Only Cam Elmore’s goal at the end of the quarter kept the margin to one point.
After half time the game broke open. Eltham ran and carried the ball and seemed to have free players everywhere. Its forwards began to dominate as they received silver service. Lower Plenty could only manage two behinds to Eltham’s six goals, including two to Williamson.
After three quarter time Eltham came out to finish the job. It kicked the first four goals, with Tom Richardson even managing to get out of the backline and score.
A blowout appeared on the cards before some late goals to the Bears left a more flattering score line.
Final score: Eltham 16.17 (113) def Lower Plenty 9.10 (64)
