Division 4: Collins tons up as North Brunny firm

By William Balme – @balmey21

Unfortunately for us, Richard has gone walk about and hasn’t sent in a report so I’m popping in to give you a quick rundown of the weekend’s play. I think everyone is pretty over the winter, but there is a rainbow appearing and finals are on the horizon. It’s an exciting time to be a football follower, particularly when we have a defendercum-forward booting a ton! Big congratulations to Dale Collins who booted 5 against Masala to take him to 102 for the season. He is a huge reason for Westbourne Grammarians’ reemergence as a threat in Division 4 and may be bombing goals in Division 3 next year if they keep their form going. In other games, Mt Lilydale once again proved themselves to be a most inconsistent force, going down to North Brunswick and leaving 6th spot a vulnerable proposition.

Masala copped an absolute shellacking at the hands of Westbourne Grammarians, going down by 152 points. From the outset, it was all the Warriors, and the story was all about Dale Collins. The Warriors didn’t search for him as hard as they did the week before, which allowed them to show why their game is just about the best in the competition on their day. Ali Eqbal was the premier forward of the day, kicking 4 and dominating his smaller opponents. Collins, despite kicking 5, was almost somewhat of a decoy forward. Alright, he was pretty solid, but such was the completeness of the performance, they didn’t have to rely too much on the big man. He was well supported by Sneddon and Muhar, who kicked 3 each. For Masala, former Kew Bear Stephen Daw was tough in the clinches and young gun Jordan Toikalkin tried hard.

Canterbury matched (and then bettered) Westbourne’s dominance with a 162-point win over Chadstone, to continue their perfect season. The Gates boys were simply supreme, Richard the big utility and David in the midfield, and the goals leaked all day. Lowden kicked 9, Szabo kicked 5 and head honcho Wilson kicked 3. As harsh as it is on the hapless Chadstone, Canterbury treated the game like they were training on a Saturday during bye week. Jake Farrugia kicked 2, and his brother Luke tried hard, but the game was finished within the first 15 minutes. Canterbury hits the last two games, with one in the book (South Mornington) and their epic clash in Round 18 against the Warriors. It appears a tasty, tasty morsel to take us into finals footy.

Box Hill North held strong against Manningham, who kept coming until Box Hill North sealed it late to get up by 7 points. Although Manningham’s season was already basically over prior to the match, they played with the ferocity of a side fighting for 6th spot. Kris Johnson, who had an interrupted start to the season, continued his fine form, kicking 2 and proving the difference in the contest. His class rose to the top, bringing players like Matthews and Templeton into the game. Box Hill North stay 4 points atop North Brunswick, but they hold important percentage points in their battle to avoid clashing with the top 2 in the first week. Manningham, with Stephen Rose kicking 4 goals, has had an unfortunate year with the loss of a club legend, players on extended breaks and injuries. They’ll clean up their scraps and come again in 2016.

Mt Lilydale fell over in the second half against the crusading North Brunswick Bulls, missing a golden opportunity to push 4th position. Instead, they now sit on the brink of missing the finals after a magnificent midseason rush up the ladder. ‘The dream appears to be over; the writing is on the wall; something needs to change!’ These must just be a few of the thoughts rushing through the head of the coaching staff down at Mercy College. Benjamin Gallagher kicked 5 goals for the victors, with Tsiaras and Dimarco having excellent afternoons on the boggy oval. For Mt Lilydale, Tom Bailey was strong over the ball, but their ball use was underpar. They need to reassess, particularly with their last two games at Parkside and Point Cook. North Brunswick has two tough games to come against Point Cook and Old Westbourne, but the dream is alive and I expect them to play finals.

Parkside made light work of the riled South Mornington side, claiming an easy victory to the tune of 74 points. South Mornington’s miserable run since they beat Swinburne in the 2012 Division 4 Grand Final continues, and their effort against Parkside illustrates a serious lack of depth. Whilst they took the 3rd quarter, they didn’t raise much more than a whimper for the rest of the game. Shane Potter kicked 5, with Parsons and McLaren kicking 4 each for Parkside, as McLaren firmed as a chance for the League Best and Fairest. South Mornington had few winners all day, however Jack Tunks was one of them, persisting with the contest until the final siren. They had a good spread of goalkickers, but they simply couldn’t kick enough of them and fell down across half forward. Parkside is back in the finals hunt, and could steal 6th spot and a lucky chance against Canterbury… not ideal.

Willie Bee’s Clive Waterhouse MOTR for Round 16

I’ve brought this segment to Division 1, Premier B and now Division 4. Clive’s got a monopoly on the VAFA. What a life he leads. Anyway, Point Cook welcome the rejuvenated North Brunswick to their happy home in a cracking match up. Although North Brunswick has re-emerged as a top 4 chance, I expect Point Cook to be too strong and continue to stay with the top 2. Point Cook by 16 points.

Tips:
Box Hill North v Masala
Parkside v Mt Lilydale
Point Cook v North Brunswick