Old teams stand tall, Parkdale and Pirates fall short

David Chalmers – @DAChalmers81

What’s in a name? Well, we are one third of the way through the Premier B season and life’s good if your team name starts with ‘Old,’ but not the letter P. Scotch and Brighton both pushed their winning streaks to six and Carey won their second on the trot, while Peninsula and Parkdale lost by the identical margin of 97 points and run the risk of getting left behind in 2017.

The league leaders faced their sternest test of the season so far when they hosted St Bernards, who won their first four but were coming off a shock loss to Monash. The visitors started into the wind but managed three first-quarter goals to take the lead at quarter time. In the second, Nick Coroneos scored from a St Bernards defensive error and then Connor Riley replied with a long set shot that cleared the pack in the goal square. Lucas Forato landed a great tackle that earned him a free kick and he converted the goal, then Chris Spinella laid a great tackle of his own up the other end but was unable to convert. Both teams had their chances in the middle stages of the quarter before Nick Cooke landed another long bomb from inside the centre square. The game opened up late in the half, with five goals in the last ten minutes of the quarter. Matthew Gadsden, Andrew Dewar and Tom Fisher all scored for Old Brighton in the space of four minutes before Charlie Vague roved a throw in and got one back for St Bernards. When Alex Mastromanno goaled after a contested mark, the Tonners took a 15-point lead into the main break. The Snowdogs worked hard in the second half but were unable to make up any ground on the scoreboard and Brighton ran out the game to win by 26 points. The Tonners unbeaten streak is their best start since winning the first seven games back in 1992.

It was a special day out at Mazenod College, as they celebrated ‘FD50’ (50^th Founders Day) and hosted Fitzroy in a classic ‘eight point game.’ The Roys were looking to consolidate their top four spot, while Mazenod had won two of their past three and were keen to build on that. Fitzroy established a ten-point lead at halftime, but five goals to one in the third gave the Nodders a 14-point advantage going into the last quarter. Neither side found the goals successfully in the first ten minutes, with Rees Thomas and Nino Lazzaro missing chances for their respective sides. Shaun Lovell marked a Fitzroy kicked across goal and dobbed one from the boundary, then coach Ben Phibbs accepted an errant handball from a Roys defender and nailed another one. Mitchell McWhinney marked inside 50 after a pass from Jack Dalton and kicked the Roys first for the quarter, then a few minutes later Cailean Moore added another one for the visitors, as they crept within a couple of goals. Brad Kovac put the game beyond the Roy’s reach at the 30-minute mark, and both sides find themselves at 3-3, level with Ajax and just one game adrift of St Bernards in third.

Old Scotch continued their excellent start to the season when they ran all over a hapless Parkdale unit. The Vultures were competitive early on but the Cardinal’s win was set up by a dominant second term, which yielded seven goals to one. Harry Larwill started things off for the home side in the opening minute, and James Sansom kicked another soon after. Josh Tilley was in the action, landing a long set shot, then his long kick from the next centre bounce found Josh Halsall inside 50, who converted the goal. Sansom goaled again, then Dylan Gilbert was another beneficiary of a centre bounce clearance. Jackson Boland took a nice mark and finished off the set shot, giving the Vultures their only score for the quarter. Four Old Scotch behinds followed, before Halsall finished well on the run just before half time. Things didn’t get any better for the Vultures in the second half, managing just one goal and leaving with a 97-point defeat. Apart from Boland, Jason Bristow and Zac Straker were the other two contributors for the Vultures, who have a chance to bounce back when they face the winless Peninsula in Round 7. Old Scotch’s form leaves Premier B fans salivating in anticipation for their Round 8 clash with Old Brighton.

Monash and Old Carey were both coming off momentous wins in Round 5: Monash toppled the previously-undefeated St Bernards, while the Panthers ran over Peninsula for their first win of the season. The Blues led by five points at halftime, but five goals to three in the third gave the Panthers a slight advantage as the game approached its climax. The final term was fast and frantic from start to finish. The Panthers extended their lead with a couple of behinds, before Nick Petering beat two defenders and slotted the first for the Ashes. The pattern continued as Ben Smithwick and Will Nichols both missed chances then Nick Woodland marked on the lead and finished off the set shot, bringing Monash within five points. Nichols gave his side some breathing space with a clever soccer goal, then it was Monash’s turn to rue some missed opportunities, with behinds from Andrew Young and Nick Argento. Old Carey’s seventh behind for the quarter made the margin two straight kicks with two minutes to play, before Gareth Taylor nailed a set shot with 20 seconds to play. Monash looked as though they’d get the centre clearance, but a bump on Nichols off the ball gave him a free kick and enabled Old Carey to hold on for the win.

Ajax and Peninsula finished off the round with a rare Sunday game. The Pirates were still searching for their first win, while the Jackas had lost two in a row. Ajax’s inaccuracy kept the Pirates in the game at quarter time, but six goals in the second quarter and nine goals in the last gave Ajax a 97-point win and propelled them to fourth place, ahead of Fitzroy and Mazenod on percentage. Jake Lew and David Fayman kicked five each for the winners, while Alex Wood kicked two for Peninsula. In Round 7, Ajax faces a crunch match against Mazenod, while Peninsula visits the Vulture’s Nest to take on ninth-placed Parkdale.