Vultures claim another scalp as Razorbacks outplay Warriors

James Armit

UHS-VU further strengthened their premiership and promotion credentials with a hard-fought 27-point win over Canterbury in Round 8. The Cobras have been battling Westbourne for a top four spot since the beginning of the season and were always going to be a hard nut for the Vultures to crack. The day began well for UHS-VU, as they kicked six goals in the first to lead by 11 points at quarter time. The Cobras defied the high-flying, top-placed Vultures as Hummerston and Mreulje lead the resistance in the second and clawed the margin back to seven points at the main break. Although Jason Blakemore found the goals on three occasions to give Canterbury a sniff, UHS-VU proved too strong for the Cobras, kicking nine goals in the second half to record another efficient win to keep their unbeaten run going. Edward Behrens and Nicholas Devereux were at their prolific best for the Vultures whilst Mitchell Sweeney proved to be the game winner, booting six majors.

Power House travelled to Kevin Bartlett Reserve to face the in-form Richmond Central. Power House would have been looking to keep the pressure on UHS-VU with a win whilst Richmond Central would have been looking to make it four wins on the trot after having not won a game for two seasons. The Snakes could only manage five points in first quarter as Power House found themselves leading by 18 at quarter time. Power House kicked five goals in the second and Richmond proved they could match it with the top sides in Division 3 by kicking five goals of their own. Despite the four goal lead to Power House at halftime, the Snakes would’ve felt they had an unlikely chance of victory heading into last half. While Power House never kicked away from Richmond Central, they proved too strong to overcome and held the Snakes at bay to claim a 33-point win. Eddie Nyary and Nicholas Brown were instrumental for the House as Nicholas Nagel bought his season tally to 31 with three majors. For the Snakes, Jake Munro had a quiet day by his standards kicking four of his side’s ten goals, while Jared Goldsack was the Central’s best.

Albert Park had a season defining victory with a 46-point win over La Trobe. Albert Park now find themselves level with three teams above them on a 3-5 win/loss record. The important win to Albert Park means it’s still anyone’s guess as to who will be among the bottom two come season’s end. La Trobe went into the game as favourites, however, found themselves trailing by 26 points at quarter time as Albert Park exploded out of the blocks through the good work of Justin Mahoney and Brodie Matheson. La Trobe were their own worst enemy as they ended up kicking an inaccurate 8.18 for the day, with only one less scoring shot than Albert Park. It was a day to forget for La Trobe despite Mathew Ogle and Michael Burrrowes putting in admirable performances around the ground. For Albert Park, Nicholas Materia did the greatest scoreboard damage and snagged three goals.

South Melbourne Districts will continue the search for their first win in season 2017 after being handed a heavy defeat at the hands of Point Cook. Despite coming into the game without a win, The Swans would’ve been feeling confident they could claim a victory in Round 8 against Point Cook who had registered just the two wins for the season. Point Cook made a modest start, leading by 15 points at quarter time. However, the final three quarters saw The Bulldogs run rampant and boot home fourteen goals to South Melbourne’s three and capture an emphatic 89-point victory. Jordan Steen kicked five for the day as Shane Sinclair, Tristan Furr, James Borg and Thomas Hyde all bagged doubles for the Dogs on their day out. Alexander Scott was the only multiple goal kicker for South Melbourne while Andrew Christensen was their most impressive.

Swinburne Uni shocked the competition with a comfortable 43-point victory over the highly-rated Westbourne Grammarians. The Warriors went into the game as favourites with the home ground advantage, which has been somewhat of a fortress this year. However, after a tightly contested first quarter, Swinburne found themselves leading by ten points thanks to the good work of Tom Hartney and Nick Mauran. The Razorbacks stretched their lead to 22 points at the half, kicking 6.1 in the second quarter to The Warriors 3.1. The lead extended even further in the third term and despite losing the final quarter, The Razorbacks had done enough damage to claim the victory. The 43-point win against a good opposition should breathe some life into the Razorbacks season as they climb into third spot on the ladder. Jackson Manning (4) and Daniel Close (3) were the main benefactors in front of goal for Swinburne. For the Warriors, Michael Culliver and Adam Salamone were amongst the best while Jaxon Cooke and Adam Bahtiri both kicked two majors.

In Round 9, Westbourne will look to bounce back against the undefeated UHS-VU in what should be a tight battle. However, at this stage of the year, The Vultures have shown no intention of giving up their unblemished record and they should hold off the Warriors to win by a couple of goals. Fifth-placed Canterbury Football Club will travel away from home to come up against sixth-placed La Trobe in what should be another close contest in Round 9. With the home ground advantage, I’m tipping La Trobe to cause an upset and take care of the Cobras by a slim margin. South Melbourne Districts might find their first win for the year hard to come by as they invite the Snakes over to play at Lindsay Hassett Oval. Given their recent form, Richmond Central should make light work of South Melbourne. At Saltwater Reserve, Point Cook will be challenged by Albert Park who are sitting on an equal win-loss ratio at the bottom end of the table. With the home ground advantage, the Bulldogs should claim another win to make it two in a row. The final match of the round will be another corker, with third-placed Swinburne taking on second-placed Power House. I would like to say Swinburne could win this one at home, but I think Power House should be able to defeat The Razorbacks by 20-odd points.