Raging Bulls charge home to claim top spot

Jason Bast – Jason_Bast

The game of the round between Manningham and North Brunswick went the way of the Bulls off the back of a great third quarter. Elsternwick upset the Eley Park Sharks to grab their first victory of the 2017 season while Mt Lilydale made it three in a row with a hard fought 10-point win over Masala who now sit at the bottom of the Division 4 ladder. The X-Men weren’t able to put another win on the board with Parkside taking the four points down at St Francis Xavier College.

Elsternwick 20.11-131 def Eley Park Sharks 13.10-88

What a game for the Wickers who notched up their first win of the season against the Eley Park Sharks at home. An eight-goals-to-two first term set up Elsternwick for a cruisy run home against the Sharks who struggled to contain the Wickers midfield in the first quarter. The game was fairly even for the remaining three quarters but the early deficit made it impossible for Eley Park to fight back. Andrew Oldfield had another strong performance for Elsternwick while Justin Hunter lead the way on the scoreboard kicking six goals. Leigh Booth, with four goals, and Matt Dyson were impressive for the Sharks despite their disappointing loss.

North Brunswick AFC 8.13-61 def Manningham Cobras 5.6-36

It was a low scoring game at Koonung Reserve that saw the Bulls come away with a 25-point win to take down the previously undefeated Cobras. It was a scrappy first half between the two sides with only four goals kicked between them. The margin heading into the second half was just five point, but in the third, North Brunswick came out firing. At three quarter time, the margin had blown out to 30 points in favour of the Bulls. Despite being outscored in the final quarter, North Brunswick had already done enough to finish the game victorious. It was a tough day for the Cobras, losing their first game for the year, but it wasn’t all bad news with Chris Jolly again hitting the scoreboard with two goals for the game. Matt Dal Santo and Ashley Rae had excellent games to lead the Bulls to a great win as they remain the only undefeated side at the top of the ladder.

Mt Lilydale OC 10.8-68 def Masala FC 8.10-58

The Rams continue their good form since Round 1 with their third win in a row. It was a very tough game for both Mt Lilydale and Masala as the game concluded with just 10 points between them. The margin didn’t move around too much after Mt Lilydale got out to a 13-point lead at quarter time. In the final three quarters, both teams added seven goals to their tally as they battled it out for the four points. Adam Thorne booted three goals and collected best on ground honours for the Rams. On the back of their loss, Masala will drop down to the bottom of the ladder.

Parkside FC 9.10-64 def St Francis Xavier OC 6.4-40

St Francis couldn’t stay in the winner’s books in Round 4, going down to Parkside by 25 points on a cold and wet day. After the first two quarters, Parkside held a slim eight-point lead. However, an inspired second half from Parkside ran over the top of the X-Men, as St Francis worked overtime to try and quell Parkside’s attack, and they did a considerable job. The last half saw Parkside kick four goals to the X-men’s two. Connor Spalding had another good game for St Francis but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Red Devils. Sam Newman-Rogers kicked four majors for the winning team while Sean McNicholl was judged best on ground.

Preview

The first game of Round 5 will be at WJ Turner Reserve featuring the Eley Park Sharks and Masala both fighting for redemption following their Round 4 defeats. North Brunswick AFC are going to be eyeing off another win as they come up against Parkside who will be doing their best to halt the in-form Bulls at Allard Park. The match of the round will certainly be down at Koonung reserve where we’ll see if Mt Lilydale OC take on Manningham Cobras. Can the Rams make it four on the trot to stir up the top end of the ladder in division 4 or will the Cobras strike and bounce back from their loss at the hands of the raging Bulls? Finishing up the round will be Aquinas coming off the bye to face off against St Francis Xavier who will be hoping to stay away from the bottom of the ladder.

Feature photo: North Brunswick AFC (Ronald Davis)