A look over the final round of the Division 2 home and away season.
Whittlesea moved one step closer to ultimate success in 2013 by claiming the minor premiership, following a big victory over rival Mernda.
Fresh from receiving news that coach Peter Bugden would not re-apply for the senior coaching position next season, the Eagles’ secured their victory in an excellent second half which saw them kick 10 goals to Mernda’s two. The Eagles had a solid spread of goal kickers, led by Brent Toll with five, Lucas Hobbs and Andrew Fairchild four each and Paul Harrison with three.
The Demons were served well by Andrew Smith, who kicked three goals, but were ultimately outclassed by their rival, kicking 11.7 (73) to Whittlesea’s 20.17 (137). The three Eagles’ teams had a day out at the Showgrounds, combining for 76.48 (504) last Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Fitzroy Stars warmed up for their upcoming second semi final encounter with the Eagles by convincingly outclassing Hurstbridge – an opponent who had previously given them trouble in their 2013 encounters.
Fitzroy’s formidable strike force came to the fore as John Hayes, Patrick Davis and Basil Sibosado combined for 16 of the Stars’ 21 goals. Hayes and Sibosado, for their parts, were outstanding.
The Bridges were outclassed for the entire afternoon, but Josh Saw and Sean Jellie played well, whilst Brett Woodhouse kicked three goals.
North Heidelberg continued to hold its narrow gap over Diamond Creek in third place with a solid victory over arch-rival Lalor, 19.10 (124) to 9.12 (66).
The Dogs’ led by 49 points at quarter time, but their buffer should have been a lot less than 43 points at half time, with Lalor kicking 1.9 with the wind in the second quarter. Shane Harvey was held to four goals for the afternoon, but Leigh Gilbert kicked six for the Dogs, who also had solid contributions from Gazi Assi and Daniel Bramich. In further good news, Jarrod King returned from a long-injury layoff.
Lalor only had four goal kickers, with Ben Gibson and Scott Dowell kicking three each. Kane Toronis and Gibson were the Bloods’ best performers.
Diamond Creek continued a solid run of form, defeating the already-relegated South Morang by 90 points.
The Creekers kicked seven goals in the third quarter to turn a solid performance into a percentage-booster. Rikki Stephens and Luke Simpson kicked five goals for the Creekers, who had Travis Knight put in another good performance, as well as a solid effort from Bradley Craig.
Daniel Watson kicked three more goals for the Lions, whilst Luke Hough and Brent Howlett were their most consistent performers at Coventry Oval.
To wrap up the Division 2 home and away season, the top four play the bottom four for a second consecutive week before the opening week of finals.
Minor premier Whittlesea travels to Lalor Reserve – where it will also play in week one of the finals – to take on the Bloods’, something which could become advantageous to the Eagles ahead of their second semi final against the Fitzroy Stars. The Eagles’ only previous trip to Lalor Reserve earlier this season resulted in a 52-point victory.
Meantime, Fitzroy Stars travel to Schotters Road to take on Mernda, a side they have defeated convincingly on both occasions this season. The Stars will look to continue their spectacular run of form which has seen them lose only once since Round 3 – that being the eight-point loss at Whittlesea having lead by 54 at three quarter time. Mernda was disappointing in the second half last week but has plenty to play for as it farewells former captain Matthew Rees.
Diamond Creek makes the short trip to Ben Frilay Oval to take on Hurstbridge as it looks to finish off its home and away campaign with a third win in four weeks. The Bridges, in the meantime, will attempt to finish off a much-improved season with a sixth victory in front of their home fans.
South Morang plays its final game in Division 2 for the time being when it hosts North Heidelberg at Mill Park Lakes Reserve. The Lions will be hoping for a top-four scalp to serve a reminder to the Division 3 competition in 2014 that they can take it up to the best in Division 2. The Dogs will be focused on finetuning their game ahead of their first semi final against Diamond Creek next week.
