Raining goals at Rathmines, while Animals back it up

Angus Archibald

Round 14 pinned top against bottom in Division 2 with a rampant Prahran coming up against lowly Hawthorn out at Rathmines Road Reserve. West Brunswick hosted Old Paradians as the Raiders fought to keep themselves on par in the battle for the top four whilst out at Eltham College the Animals continued to claw their way up the ladder with a stirring win against Eltham Collegians.

Yarra OG played host to Glen Eira in what was a seesawing battle out at Doncaster Reserve. The game was tight early with the Bushrangers holding a narrow lead at the first break, before they stamped their dominance in the second term to take them out to a three goal lead at half time. An inspired performance from the Saints in the third quarter brought it back to a three-point ball game, setting up a massive final term. With Yarra battling to keep hold of third spot and Glen Eira fighting to put them another game clear of the relegation zone, this match had plenty to play for. The Bushrangers responded best to the three quarter time addresses however, running out 26-point winners to keep themselves a game clear of fourth spot with four rounds remaining in the season. Nicholas Chamberlain continued his recent good form in front of goals with four majors whilst Jack Hall was best on ground for Yarra. Todd Richardson was Glen Eira’s best kicking two goals, with Alex Erwin-Ross also contributing with two majors.

Eltham Collegians and Emmaus St Leos went toe to toe out at the College with the lower ranked Emmaus coming out on top. The Animals started fast, kicking 4.6 to the Turtles’ one goal. Eltham mounted a comeback in the second quarter though to go into the major change four points down. The third quarter was tight with neither side able to assert their dominance, leading to it being all square with one quarter to play. The contest was hot, but Emmaus St Leos were able to fight for a hard earned win away from home, kicking away to a two goal margin by game’s end. Daniel Hill was best afield for the Animals kicking four majors to bring his total to 24 for the season, whilst Paul Baranello continued to find the goals with two of his own. Brayden Meade did his best to drag Eltham across the line with three goals alongside Brent Gutterson who also kicked three goals for the Turtles. This result leaves the two sides locked on 24 points apiece and two games clear of the relegation zone going into the final month of the season, with Eltham sitting above Emmaus on percentage.  

West Brunswick took full advantage of the gale force winds, kicking six goals to one in the first quarter against Old Paradians out at Ransford oval. The Raiders were able to respond in the second when it was their turn with the wind in their sail, but poor kicking in front of goal kept them 26 points down at the half. West Brunswick showed them how it was done by booting nine goals in the third, yet the Raiders were able to give themselves hope by kicking three of their own into the wind, the most of any side all day. 63 points down and with the wind behind their backs, the Raiders managed to bring the margin back but the Magpies were just too strong, running out 51-point winners. Bill Irving had his best game for the year booting six goals for the Magpies, bringing his season total to 30 whilst Evan Lloyd was best on ground, continuing his perfect record of being named in the best every week this season. Michael Boundy & Michael Marrone kicked two goals each for the Raiders whilst Sean Miller was their best. Old Paradians now sit one game outside the top four, with a clash against fellow top four rivals Yarra OG to come later in the season.

Prahran kicked their highest score for the season against Hawthorn as they kicked 31.21 at Rathmines Road Reserve. The Two Blues started strong kicking six goals in the first quarter to lead by 44 points, keeping Hawthorn scoreless in the process. Their dominance continued with another six-goal quarter in the second, this time allowing Hawthorn to put three behinds on the board. The third quarter was raining goals for Prahran as they booted 11 more, bringing the margin out to a whopping 151 points going into the final change. Kade Pargeter managed to kick Hawthorn’s only goal for the match in the fourth term, but the Two Blues continued to dominate, kicking another eight goals to bring the final margin to 195 points. Prahran had 13 multiple goal kickers, with Jonathon Simonetta kicking six in his best game for the season. Timothy Maya contributed with four, whilst Beau Adams and Josh Hogarth finished the match with three each.

Bulleen Templestowe fell agonisingly close to Melbourne High School OBs as they fought to jump out of the bottom two. The game was close early with MHSOB’s taking a 13-point lead at the first change. The second quarter was another tough affair, with the Unicorns continuing to pull away from the Bullants to lead by 25 at the major break. But Bulleen responded in the third term and clawed their way back with four goals to one to bring the margin to just two points heading into the last term. Both sides had the opportunity to kick away, with MHSOB’s making the most of their chances in front of goal to kick out to a 13-point lead. The Bullants had more scoring shots on goal than the Unicorns and will rue their missed opportunity to take a scalp from the top four. Beau Jellis kicked four majors for the Unicorns whilst James Tran was best afield to continue his recent good form. Brodie McLaughlin was best on for the Bullants for the second week in a row, kicking four majors and doing all he could to will his side across the line.

In Round 15, Toorak Park will play host to the top of the table clash between Prahran Assumption and West Brunswick in what looks to be a possible grand final preview. Emmaus St Leos look to continue their recent hot form by causing an upset against Yarra OG’s at the Bennettswood Sports Ground, whilst Melbourne High School OBs attempt to bring themselves one step closer to a return to finals after narrowly missing out last season in their match at home against Eltham Collegians. Old Paradians will take on Hawthorn at Garvey Oval as both sides look to bounce back from defeats in Round 14. But this week’s game of the round will take place at Packer Reserve between Glen Eira and Bulleen Templestowe. A win for Glen Eira will put them two games clear of the relegation zone with three games remaining, whilst a win for the Bullants will bring them out of the relegation zone and put them ahead of Glen Eira on percentage. With plenty to play for at both ends of the table, Round 15 looks set to be another fantastic weekend of VAFA footy.