Division 3: Five finals spots down, one to go

By Gavin Southern – @gavsouthern

Round 16 had everything. Blowouts, tough contests and a come from behind victory to see the Animals remain undefeated. Some teams have fallen out of finals contention and it’s up to Swinburne to finalise sixth.  To the games:

Aquinas defeated by Emmaus St. Leo’s

Despite no rain, a wet and slippery day at Aquinas College saw an epic battle for the four points. Aquinas had nothing to lose and everything to gain. The biggest lead was at half time when the Animals led by 16 points but Aquinas came back with a 5 goal straight quarter to be a point down at 3-quarter time. Accurate goal kicking saw the Bloods get to an 11-point lead late in the last quarter but the Animals put in a surge to take out a two-point victory. Nathan Baranello (2 goals) was best for the Animals, in a strong display in the mud. No one seemed to be able to stop Bloods star, Zac Parr with 5 goals. Chris Beluszar had 4 goals for the Animals. As the old cliché (sort of) goes, this could be the loss they had to have, but didn’t.

Uhs-Vu defeated La Trobe Uni 

La Trobe needed a strong start if they were going to be any chance and that’s exactly what they did finishing the quarter up by 9. However, a poor second quarter let the Vultures regain control to be up 16. The second half was even with both teams trading goals with the Vultures being able to maintain the buffer or the rest of the match. Stephen Leitch was rebounding terrifically and Matt Ogle was dominating in the ruck, giving La Trobe first use. UHS did enough to run out 12-point winners. Ben Collins led all scorers with 3 majors and Dean Benstead was BOG.

West Brunswick defeated Swinburne Uni

At home, West Brunswick started well and was able to put a good break at quarter time against the Razorbacks. Swinny weren’t at full strength and in conjunction with a few early injuries; their ability to make rotations was reduced to minimal. The Magpies would have been pleased with their free scoring across the 4 quarters. This is only the 4th time this year that they have scored more goals than points. For the Razorbacks, David Webb was the only multiple goal kicker with 2 and Rich Lugg was their best. Scott Hulm (7 goals), Dylan Muscat (5) and Matt Holmes (4) had a field day in front of the big sticks for the Magpies. Russell George was BOG.

Hawthorn defeated Glen Eira 

It was a hard fought win for the Hawks over Glen Eira in their Mental Health Awareness match at Rathmines Rd. Glen Eira’s Cris Massis (1 goal) was also celebrating his 200th game milestone. The margin was never more than 2 or 3 goals for the whole game, as BOG Sam Gold seemingly brought his own footy and was prolific with the pill, hitting up Jason Ince and Richard Ogge consistently on their way to combining for 8 goals (5/3 respectively). Glen Eira were fighting to save a finals chance and never went away, getting to within a goal in the last quarter before the Hawks pulled away to win by 3 goals. Todd Richardson was best for the Saints and Julius Waras-Carstensen led with 3 goals

Power House defeated Eley Park

The Sharks headed out to Ross Gregory Oval to meet Power House. The Sharks started off well, going into the quarter time break up by 10 points after making the most of our opportunities whilst Power House was inaccurate with their shots on goal. The Sharks did not start well in the second quarter with Adam Collett getting on top of their defence kicking 3 of his 4 goals. Then, like clockwork, the Sharks’ injuries began to mount in the 3rd quarter with skipper, Chris Marsiglio and halfback Chris Brown both going down. With the fizz out of the game, the Sharks kicked a few in the last to garner some respect but Powerhouse’s quick ball movement and superior skill on the day proved to be decisive. Dan Isaac our best for the Sharks, Ben Circosta (3 goals) was man of the match for Power House.

PREVIEW

Round 17 and 2 rounds to play. The VAFA has saved the best rounds to last, beginning last week. Some even match-ups in which anyone can win. To the games for this week:

Aquinas (3rd) hosts a well-rested Albert Park (8th). Albert Park is playing for pride and Aquinas should have real belief after the one that got away last week. Aquinas.

Bruce McAvaney would saying “delicious” about Emmaus St. Leo’s (1st) vs. West Brunswick (2nd) and my clear match of the round. It’s anybody’s game. The game features the best attack taking on the best defence. The Animals

Glen Eira (7th) hosts Power House (9th). Mathematically, the Saints can still do it but it rests on Swinny’s shoulders. No harm in the Saints snatching this victory anyway.

Swinburne Uni (6th) hosts Uhs-Vu (5th). A win for Swinny provided they kick straight will sew up finals for 2015.

Eley Park (10th) hosts Hawthorn (4th). For the Sharks, it’s a win at all costs to save them from relegation but, unfortunately, it’s not going to be. Hawthorn.

La Trobe Uni (11th) have the bye, will remain on the bottom and will finish the year off travelling to Hawthorn.

Tips

Aquinas Vs. Albert Park
Emmaus St. Leo’s Vs. West Brunswick
Glen Eira Vs. Power House
Swinburne Uni Vs. Uhs-Vu
Eley Park Vs. Hawthorn