MONTMORENCY bounced back from a competitive loss to ladder-leader Heidelberg with a comfortable 44-point win over Whittlesea at Montmorency Park in Round 8.
In very wet conditions, the Magpies were able to grab hold of an early lead and never appeared like giving it up, with a dominant third term setting up the 14.20 (104) to 8.12 (60) win.
The victory was Montmorency’s third of the season and sees them move three games clear of the Eagles, who remain anchored to the bottom of the Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 ladder without a win.
Leading the way for the Magpies were Daniel Keenan, Ben Fennell and Callum Daley, whilst the Eagles best on a tough day were Riley Dyson, Janan Daniel and Scott McAuliffe.
Montmorency started with a flurry of goals, booting the first three majors of the match to open up a 19-point advantage 10 minutes into the first term.
It took until the 12th minute of the match for the Eagles to register their first major, which came after Daniel marked in the goal square and kicked truly from point blank range.
The Eagles denied Montmorency’s attacking threats for the remainder of the term and a goal at the 28-minute mark to captain Andrew Fairchild saw the visitors reduce the margin to 10 points at the quarter-time break.
Whittlesea’s momentum continued into the early part of the second term as Jack Dyson kicked his side’s third goal in succession in the opening minute to reduce the margin to just four points.
But that would be as close as the Eagles got as Montmorency booted the next two goals to push back out to a 15-point buffer.
Daniel replied with his second for Whittlesea, before the Magpies ended the second quarter with the last three goals to go into the second half with a commanding 29-point lead.
Montmorency carried its strong form into the third term but couldn’t find a way to kick a goal, with inaccuracy plaguing the home team.
It took until the eighth minute of the quarter for Jesse Donaldson to boot his second goal and reward his side for its early dominance.
The scoring didn’t stop there for the Magpies, who booted the remaining three goals in a one-sided third quarter, where they kept the Eagles goalless, to go into the final term with a commanding 56-point advantage.
Luke Collins kept the Magpies rolling in the fourth term, booting the opening goal five minutes into the quarter to give his side a game-high 62-point lead.
Ben Russell was finally able to stop Montmorency’s run of eight straight goals, putting through a major for Whittlesea after he followed up a strong contested mark with a successful set shot.
Justin Sherman then put through a quick snap to give the Eagles two goals in a minute.
However, any hopes of a miraculous comeback from the Eagles were quickly put to bed after Donaldson put through his third goal of the day to see his side re-establish a 57-point lead.
Whittlesea booted the last two goals through Daniel and McAuliffe to make the final margin a bit more respectful, as the Magpies walked away 44-point victors.
Montmorency face a tough task in Round 9 when it travels to Bundoora to face the in-form Bulls, whilst Whittlesea hosts Northcote Park after the Queen’s Birthday weekend in a must-win match for both sides.
Final score: Montmorency 14.20 (104) def Whittlesea 8.12 (60)
