Is the monkey off the back?

By Nick Armistead – @NickArmistead

As Tom Caven said in Monday’s Mooney Valley Leader, the monkey is now off St Bernard’s back. After weeks of falling away toward the end of matches and allowing opponents to overrun them, the young Snow Dogs outfit held firm against Old Melburnians and ran out nine-point winners at the Snakepit. Despite missing Tom Sullivan for the second consecutive week, the Snow Dogs registered nine of the first 11 goals and had the poise to stand strong in the face of a second-half OMs comeback. Nathan Kazuro pieced together a well-earnt BOG performance through the midfield, while Darren Colaco kicked four goals alongside Michael Caven’s three. It’s been a season of near misses for the Snow Dogs and last week’s victory is testament to their ongoing competitiveness in the face of numerous obstacles. They’ve been in nearly every game this season (barring Xavs in Round 10) but the stats since Round 4 are telling:

• Rd 4 vs OMs: Lost by seven points
• Rd 5 vs Old Carey: Won by 73 points
• Rd 6 vs Uni Blues: Lost by 2 points after leading by 17 at 3QT
• Rd 7 vs Blacks: Lost by 27 points after trailing by five at 3QT
• Rd 8 vs SKOB: Lost by 12 points after leading by 18 at 3QT
• Rd 9 vs De La: Lost by 10 points after leading by six at 3QT
• Rd 11 vs OMs: Won by nine points after leading by 44 at HT

What does this tell us? The Snow Dogs are not the 2-9 side who sit ninth on the William Buck Premier ladder but tend to fall away in the latter stages of the match. In any other season where the strength of the overall competition may not have been as balanced as this year, the Snow Dogs could easily have three of four more wins on the board and last week’s hard-fought victory over OMs may be the catalyst for an assault at avoiding relegation.

Old Carey edged closer to notching win number one for 2016, showcased by their three-quarter effort against University Blues over the weekend. Trailing by just eight points at the last break, the Panthers were overrun by the second-placed Blues as they piled on nine goals to one in the last and blew the margin out to 54 points. Julian Rowe nailed five majors, while fellow experienced Panthers, Luke Crozier and Ben Smithwick, led from the front with standout individual displays. The Panthers will win a game this season, and with form veterans rubbing shoulders with future stars, that elusive victory could be closer than most anticipate. As for the Blues, they are improving each week and sit on the same amount of points as De La with eight wins for the season. Tim Geappen’s seven goals bodes well moving forward because, if there was an area for improvement, it would have been registering scores capable of winning finals. They can do that now. The Blues cracked the 100-point barrier for the first time this season and proved they can score in quick succession (see Q4).

Old Xaverians improved their record to 6-5 and moved just two points shy of the top four with a 26-point victory against St Kevin’s. Inaccuracy and strong defensive pressure cost the Xavs early as SKOB held a one-point lead at the main break, before Brendan Goss (six goals) and Tomi Johnstone (48 disposals) led an eight-goal to four second half. With 1.5 to his name at the start of the third term, Goss caught fire and piled on another five in a standout performance. He now leapfrogs Lochie Dornauf and Al Armstrong for second position on the goal kicking leader board, four shy of teammate Matt Handley in what is proving a handful for opposition defences. John Shaw’s return in the ruck was instrumental for Xavs, Dan Noonan produced across half back and Tyson Thomas made a successful comeback in the reserves. Round 4 Rising Star nominee, Jack Holden, did his chances no harm with a standout first half for SKOB alongside the ever-impressive run and carry of Jason Salopek.

University Blacks kept Old Trinity to just two goals for the match in their 48-point victory at a mud-covered Uni Oval. With one goal each to their name at quarter time, the Blacks kicked nine of the next 10 as their defence stood strong and allowed the T’s just one more (in the fourth) for the remainder of the match. The Blacks surged back into the top four (third) with a percentage of 131.99 – by far the best in the competition – and have won six of their last seven. Trinity’s slump continues to worsen as they have not won a match since leading the ladder at 6-0 after the first six rounds. They’ve fallen outside the top four for the first time this season and have the third-lowest percentage in William Buck Premier. Brendan Iezzi made his senior return, but a lack of Seb Nicolosi, Ed Weatherson and Alex Polidoros (36% of last year’s goals) hurt the T’s up forward. On their day, the T’s are still the strongest side in the competition, but seem to be playing bereft of confidence at this present point in time.

Collegians registered their second-highest score for the season and, in doing so, defeated De La Salle by 24 points at Harry Trott Oval. It was an inspired comeback for the 6-5 Lions, who trailed the ladder leaders by 23 points at half time, but through Tom Penberthy, Matt Jenkinson and Chris Middleton ran the game out harder, faster and stronger than their opponents. While they currently don’t boast a forward kicking hauls, the Lions shared their 11 goals with seven separate goal kickers and will look to continue to share the load as they make a run for the top four. De La remain at the top of the table, but missed Leigh Harrison (13 goals) and Adrian Indovino (17) as they posted their lowest score for the season.

Round 12 Tips

Old Trinity vs Collegians

University Blacks vs De La Salle

Old Melburnians vs Old Xaverians

St Bernard’s vs University Blues

St Kevin’s vs Old Carey