Bulls continue their stampede in Division 4

Jake Morris

As we mark the half-way point of the 2018 Division 4 competition, the North Brunswick Bulls have officially staked their claim as premiership favourites, remaining the only undefeated side as they knocked off fellow flag hopefuls St Francis Xavier in a thrilling contest. The Swans dropped their second straight game to a pesky Parkside after winning their first six, while South Mornington, Mt Lilydale and Eley Park all picked up wins. As we turn for home, here’s what to expect from Round’ 9

Trailing by nine at halftime and four at the final change, North Brunswick looked to be in all sorts of trouble and potentially drop their first game of the year against the X-Men, but a strong final term, headlined by the Bulls forward-line dominance, pushed them past their opponents and continued their run towards a potentially unbeaten season. Jake George (3) returned to the line-up and continued his strong work in front of goal, while Brendon George and Peter Butler also chipped in two apiece. Michael Salloum finished with one major, but 12 different goal-kickers made up for his quiet afternoon. Their opponents this weekend in South Melbourne Districts enter on a two-game losing streak, including a 33-point loss to Parkside on the weekend. Leading by eight at the main change, the Swans were in the box seat, but an 11 goal to five second half by the Devils snuffed the life out of Anthony McMahon’s men, and sent them packing for their second loss in a row. The usual goal-kicking suspects in Jordan Heis (4), Ryan Chirgwin (2) and Aidan Rawlings (2) were lively, while Tom Murrihy had his second BOG in a row but all to no avail. Bulls to win and continue the Swans slide.

St Francis Xavier were gallant in their Round 8 clash with the Bulls and certainly didn’t lose any admirers. An outstanding second term (seven goals) and third term (four goals) put the X-Men in prime position to knock off the pacesetters, but poor kicking in-front of goal in the final term (1.5) doomed Scott Mackenzie’s men, allowing the Bulls to run over the top. Corey Green and Harry Coe combined for nine of their sides 14 majors, while Daniel Chin once again put in an outstanding effort. Their opponents this weekend in Parkside are riding high after their dominant win over the Swans, where they held the usually high scoring side (average of 98) to just 67 points. Led by Sam Gilfedder (4), the Devils had six multiple goal kickers, leading them to simply overwhelm the Swans defence and run out convincing winners. Despite this, look for the X-Men to get back on track here.

Box Hill North looked like they forgot to bring their kicking boots during their 33-point loss to the Rams. To go along with the omissions of their two leading goal-scorers, Eamon Stewart and Lachie Silby, the Dees converted on just six of their 20 shots on goal for the day. Leon Desmond and Cam Lee both snagged two, while Chris Waiting was named best on for his side. After three losses in a row by an average of 82 points, the Eley Park Sharks got back on the winners list with a surprise nine-point win over Elsternwick. The Sharks played fantastic football for three quarters, holding a comprehensive 34-point lead at the final change, before a fourth quarter meltdown almost cost them the game, allowing the Wickers to pile on six goals to bring the margin back to single digits. Daniel Edwards kicked three, while four other players kicked two as the Sharks did just enough to hold onto the win and claim their third for the year. This one could go either way, but look for the Dees to get the points.

Masala were once again outplayed from start to finish in their 119-point loss to South Mornington. Their inaccuracy in-front of goal once again hampered their efforts, as it is now starting to become a worrying trend (37.70 for the season at 34.6% accuracy). Matt Decarne kicked two for the second week in a row, while Dale Gibb was named best on for his squad. Elsternwick have gone backwards since their Round 5 win over Parkside, falling to their third loss in a row and sixth of their last seven. Similar to their opponents this weekend, the Wickers inaccuracy cost them dearly, with just 11 of their 23 scoring shots resulting in goals. Justin Hunter kicked four of those, while Lachie Lloyd and James Biviano each had two. Elsternwick have to win this game, and should get the chocolates.

The final game of the round sees two evenly matched sides go at it with Mt Lilydale welcoming the streaking South Mornington to town. The Rams enter this clash off a strong 33-point win over the Dees, while the Tigers, led by new goal-kicking competition leader Travis French, took down Masala. Despite a slow start, the Rams piled on 11 goals to four after quarter time to eclipse the Demons and keep pace with the top four. Daniel Perry booted three while Sean Gibson, Julian Rozycki and Dion Paull all kicked two. The defensive performance of the Rams back six deserves a lot of credit for holding their opponents to just 50 points for the match. For South Mornington, Travis French kicked a competition high 14 goals to elevate to first on the goal-kicking tally with 34 total for the year. Leading from start to finish, this was the Tigers biggest win since July 7 2012, when they defeated Mt Lilydale by 137-points in their premiership year. Another close game that could go either way, but look for South Mornington to get the win.