X-Men unite, Swans hit scoreboard

Jake Morris

Round 1 is in the books for season 2018 and how good is it to finally have footy back. Two of the three competitions new teams claimed victories with Box Hill North and South Melbourne both coming up winners in their first outing in Division Four while the Premiership favourite North Brunswick pulled a 5-goal victory from the jaws of the Sharks. Elsternwick claimed a hard-fought victory over new-comers South Mornington, while St. Francis Xavier showed no signs of their forgettable 2017 season with a dominant performance over Masala. Footy is back and we’re more than ready for Round 2.

North Brunswick AFC (2^nd) vs Box Hill North AFC (3^rd) – 2:00pm Saturday April 14 @ Allard Park, Brunswick.

The Bulls started their season in fine form, running out convincing 33-point winners over the Eley Park Sharks, 16.12 (108) to 11.9 (75) in-front of their home crowd at Allard Park. Last season’s leading goal scorer Jake George booted four while Michael Salloum and new-addition Matthew David kicked three-apiece to help push the Bulls past the Sharks for their first win of the 2018 season. Also in his first game for North Brunswick, Karl Brockman was named best on for his performance against the Sharks. Their opponents this weekend in Box Hill North also started the year strongly, claiming an impressive 29-point victory over Parkside. Kane Penhalluriack made a fantastic return to the Box Hill North side kicking four majors while Leon Desmond and Michael Penny booted three each to help ease away in the last quarter from the Parkside Football Club. 2018 AFL Scholarship Player from Japan Hiroo Kuroda was given the votes for man of the match in his first game as a member of the Box Hill North side, with a stellar performance throughout the Devils midfield. Despite this, the Bulls should be able to run out winners in this one.

Elsternwick (5^th) vs South Melbourne Districts (4^th) – 2:00pm Saturday April 14 @ Elsternwick Park Oval 2, Elsternwick.

The Wickers were able to hold off a fast-finishing South Mornington outfit to claim victory by 11-points in their first matchup of the season. Andrew Oldfield followed on from an outstanding 2017 season to once again claim best on ground honours, while each of Julian Yeatman, Richard Main and Kyle Van Der Pluym kicked three apiece to hold off the Tigers. South Melbourne came into their Round 1 matchup on the end of 18-straight defeats, but after almost four and half months’ worth of football, the Bloods are now back on the winners list after a strong victory over last year’s Div 4 finalists Mt Lilydale, 12.6 (78) to 10.5 (65). Steve Clarke was once again outstanding throughout the middle and played a huge part in securing the win and was supported by Tom Balme who kicked three majors while Jordan Heis, Luke Money and Will Cumming all booted a pair of goals each. This will be a close contest that should go down to the wire, but look for South Melbourne Districts to outlast the Wickers in what is shaping up to be a classic.

Parkside Football Club (8^th) vs South Mornington (6^th) – 2:00pm Saturday April 14 @ Pitcher Park, Alphington.

Parkside had a tough start to the season, going down to division newcomers Box Hill North in a disappointing performance. Being known for their defensive capabilities, the Devils conceded 125-points to their opponents in a somewhat uncharacteristic performance by Ricky Frost’s men. A strong five-goal haul from Maroun Fahl, 4 from youngster Matthew Soligo and 3 majors from first-gamer Sam Gilfedder wasn’t enough to match the strong forward attack of their Box Hill North opponent. The Tigers gave themselves every opportunity for an unlikely come-from-behind victory over Elsternwick last weekend, but failed to convert in-front of goal in the last quarter, kicking only three majors from their nine overall scoring shots in the last term to fall at the finish line by just 11-points, 13.10 (88) to 11.11 (77). Travis French booted three for the Tigers while Jason Bland and Nathan Coy put together great performances across the ground, with Coy kicking two of his own up-forward. This is a match Parkside should win if they want to consider themselves finals contenders for this year, but the Tigers last quarter performance last week shows what they’re capable of, just have to convert in-front of goal. South Mornington to win.

St Francis Xavier OC (1^st) vs Mt Lilydale OC (7^th) – 2:00pm Saturday April 14 @ St Francis Xavier College, Beaconsfield.

After completing the 2017 season with an average losing margin of just under 10 goals a game, the ‘X-Men’ from St Francis Xavier College came out last week and sent a message to the rest of the competition that they are a completely different team this time around. Dispatching Masala by 171 points in what was a dominant display reminiscent of their 2011 Premiership outfit, 25.26 (176) to 0.5 (5). They finished with 10 different goal kickers, with forwards Nathan May and Dylan Alexander kicking a bag of six each, while Nathaniel Welsh contributed five of his own in the demolition performance of Masala. SFXOC veteran Josh Lafranchi was named best on ground for his performance on Saturday, and will be looking to emulate that once again as they welcome Mt Lilydale Old Collegians to Beaconsfield. One of last season’s four finalists, Mt Lilydale had a disappointing start to their 2018 campaign, going down to league newcomers South Melbourne Districts by 13-points. The loss of prominent midfielders Jesse Lehmann and Thomas Bailey was evident in this clash as the Bloods were able to control most of the play up until the last quarter when the Rams made a late push to try snatch victory. Daniel Perry kicked three up forward while the ever reliable Aaron Potter was once again outstanding across the ground. ‘X-Men’ to continue their run back to the top.

Eley Park Sharks (9^th) vs Masala Football Club (10^th) – 2:00pm Saturday April 14 @ Whitehorse Reserve, Box Hill.

The Sharks were gallant in their clash with North Brunswick on the weekend. Despite the very slow start, Eley Park went on to outscore their opponents in the second half and pull the margin back from 48 at half time, to a respectable 33 as the final siren blew. Peter Giannopoulos booted five majors for the Sharks, while Captain Jesiah Mcgarvie and Vice-captain Jack Craig also put in respectable performances in the tough loss. Their opponents this weekend in the Masala Football Club ran into a freight train that was St Francis Xavier last Saturday and despite the excitement that surrounding this side in the off-season, it is looking likely it may be another difficult year for the Tigers. Their new home ground at Fotheringham Reserve in Dandenong looked great and new head coach Alan Sutherland may need some more time to work with his troops to get the best out of them, but this is a proud club that won’t let results like last weekend to dictate who they are and what they stand for. Eley Park should come away with the win but look for a much better performance from the Tigers this weekend.