Bulls undefeated as Swans suffer shock loss

Jake Morris

North Brunswick Amateur Football Club are now the only remaining undefeated side in the competition after fellow flag hopefuls South Melbourne Districts suffered a shock 37-point loss to the hands of South Mornington. The X-Men, Devils and Demons all took care of business in their Round 7 clashes, but it was the upset of the season down at Ferrero Reserve which caught the eyes of the competition. Let’s have a look back at the weekend’s results and get you primed for Round 8 action.

Masala were gallant in their Round 7 clash with Box Hill North, suffering only their second lightest defeat of the season with a 37-point loss at Fotheringham Reserve. On the other hand, their opponents this weekend in South Mornington are the talk of the competition, after their dominant 37-point win over the previously undefeated South Melbourne Districts. Despite the omission of club leading goal-scorer Travis French, Robert Wilson (6) and Craig Turner (4) were able to pick up the pieces and carry the load up-forward as the Tigers lead from start to finish, running out comfortable winners. Masala played some quality football for the first three quarters in their clash with the Dees, before a goalless final term pushed the margin beyond doubt, and sent the Tigers to their 7th straight defeat. Matt Sexton and Matt Decarne both lodged two majors while Stephen Daw was named his sides best for the day. Look for South Mornington to come out on-top.

The South Melbourne Districts enter Round 8 suffering their first loss of the season at the hands of the improving South Mornington. Despite missing prominent players Ryan Chirgwin, George Dixon and Aidan Rawlings, the Swans should have still arguably come away with the points, going to show that you can never underestimate any team in this competition. Jordan Heis was still able to get on the scoreboard with three majors while Tom Murrihy was named his sides best for the day. After a pummelling at the hands of the Bulls in Round 6, Parkside were able to get back on the winners list in comprehensive fashion, dismantling the Eley Park Sharks by 115-points in what was their biggest win on the year. Parkside had 10 different goal-scorers on the day, with Sam Gilfedder being the main contributor with a bag of five, while Mitch Creek, Adam Moffa and Lachie Jacob all booted three each. This win firms the Devils hold on fourth spot and the percentage boost gives them a cushion on the rest of the competition. Look for the Swans to bounce back.

With both sides sitting on three wins and four losses and just one game behind the fourth placed Parkside, Mt Lilydale and Box Hill North will be eager for a big win to potentially join the Devils in that fourth finals spot. The Rams were left looking for answers after their encounter with the locomotive that is North Brunswick, going down by 91-points in what was a heavily one-sided affair. Julian Rozycki and Luke Corrin were the Rams only multiple goal kickers, while Aaron Potter was once again named his sides best on ground. This was their heaviest loss so far this season, as their score of 7.3 (45) was their second lowest on the year. The Demons will have confidence coming off a 36-point win over Masala. Despite leading goal-scorers Eamon Stewart and Lachie Silby missing the clash, the Demons were able to find other avenues to goal through Justin Howarth (3) and Daniel Luff (2), while seven other players also registered a major in the wire-to-wire victory. Dees to win.

Our next clash sees the undefeated North Brunswick play host to St Francis Xavier in a top of the table clash. The Bulls are coming off a dominant 20.16 (136) to 7.3 (45) win over the Rams while the X-Men took care of business in their 17.19 (121) to 8.10 (58) win over Elsternwick. This clash will feature the Bulls high-powered forward line led by Michael Salloum and Brendon George, coming up-against the stingiest defence in the competition who concede an average of just 46-points per contest. Though they are a fantastic defensive unit, St Francis Xavier’s excellence isn’t situated to just one end of the ground. 12 players from SFX have kicked five or more goals this year, while just six can say the same for Bulls. None of St Francis Xavier’s men will go out and kick eight like some of the Bulls can, but the number of players that can kick two on any given day make them special. For North Brunswick, a big key to the game will be shutting down the explosive X-Men midfield led by Daniel Chin and Brendon O’Hara, while still finding ways to get their forward line into the match. This means the likes of Keary Mourelatos, Gavin Livingston and Simon Mair will need to go big if they wish to come away victorious. The Bulls firepower and prowess should be enough to get the points.  

The final match of the round will see the struggling Eley Park Sharks face off against the always pesky Elsternwick. The Sharks, who had lost three in a row and four of their last five, produced their worst performance of the year against Parkside. Their score of 4.5 (29) was their equal lowest of the season, while the deficit of 115-points was their largest losing margin to date. Jesiah Mcgarvie was held to just one major while Daniel Edwards was their only multiple goal kicker with two, as the Sharks dropped to 9th on the competition table. The Wickers have lost two straight and are winners of just one of their last six matches, with their biggest defeat coming at the hands of the X-Men by 63-points on Saturday. Julian Yeatman continued his strong season in-front of goal with three majors while Adrian Costa claimed his second BOG in three weeks with another solid performance. Wickers to win.