St Bernard’s top dogs, Panthers take the Fields

Alisha Min 

Despite playing on home deck at the Uni Oval, University Blacks were unable to atone for their Round 7 loss to St Bernard’s and fell short yet again, this time by a much more reputable 17 points. It was déjà vu for the Blacks when leading Premier B sharpshooter, Chad Jones, backed up his seven goal show (Round 7) with another five majors on this outing, earning the BOG accolade for the day. Again without the influence of leading team goal-scorer Lachlan Huntington, and with Lochie Dornauf replicating his one goal outing last time with another single major here, the Blacks showed greater tenacity in front of the sticks with 10 individual goal-kickers, though they would rue inaccuracy given they had more scoring shots for the day. For the Snow Dogs, Michael Caven was again dominant, supporting his two majors from Round 7 with three majors here, while Harrison Kennedy and Mitch Hughes were outstanding. Joel Ernest again featured in the Best for the Blacks, while Angus Locke and Campbell Moorfield were also standouts.

Beaumaris improved upon their 69-point win over Mazenod in Round 3 after another comprehensive 120-point victory at Banksia Reserve. Like their victory earlier this season, the Sharks were again convincing leaders throughout the duration of the match, this time starting with a seven goals to one first quarter. Joel Cusack, who last time (Round 3) amassed three goals for his Beaumaris side, stepped it up again with an irresistible eight majors and the BOG accolade in turn. Callum Beattie-Powell (2) and Rob Cathcart (3) were also influential with five goals between them, while the Nodders Rees Thomas and Thomas Warby fought hard.

It’s all tied up in the contest between Monash Blues and Parkdale Vultures after they handed a five-point beating to the Vultures in Round 12, compensating for their 69-point loss in Round 6. This win, which is now the Blues’ second for the season, somewhat opens Pandora’s Box in relation to the relegation battle as they close the gap to the other three sides with only three wins to date (Ajax, Old Haileyburians, Mazenod). Unlike their Round 6 clash, Monash showed consistency across all four quarters, although scoreboard accuracy (this time 11.11) remains a quandary. For the Blues, it was Gareth Taylor (2) who was best afield, with Keegan Mason and Joe Harrison impressive around the ground. For the 6^th placed Vultures, Noah Hura (2) and Nathan Papatsanis (3) were standouts.

Fast-starting Ajax saw another game slip away when Old Haileybury pulled off a miraculous five-point win at Princes Park, Caufield. Any hope the Jackas may have had in imitating their Round 1 encounter, and surmounting a massive ten goal last quarter to run away with a 59-point win, was quelled as the Bloods held the visitors to a single goal in the fourth while piling on 5.6 of their own to claim victory. In-form Old Haileybury ruckman, Lachlan Treverton (2), was again outstanding, while Nicholas Garratt was rewarded BOG for his tireless efforts. Off the back of his 150 game milestone, former Big V star Jake Lew was faultless with four majors for the Jackas, and Justin Berkowitz was named Best.

Bouncing back to their talented selves, it was Old Carey who took the chocolates in a solid 26-point win over Caulfield Grammarians. A massive 12 weeks had passed since their first encounter, in which Beaumaris completed a 92-point demolition job on the Fields, but the top-end talent from the Panthers side were again too convincing. The Panthers Will Nichols supported his four goal outing in Round 1 with another two in this meeting, and Liam Mackie and Cameron Wallace (1) were named best. Will Osborn (3) starred for the Fields, while Big V captain and star, Tim Nixon, was his reliable self in his in-an-under role through the mid.

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Four in a row and full of confidence, 4^th placed Beaumaris will host 7^th placed Ajax in Round 13. In their last meeting in Round 6, Beaumaris were able to rally from behind and secure the four points away from home. On that occasion, Robert Cathcart (1), Jonno Nash and Matthew Petering were unrelenting for the Sharks, while Daniel Janover-Rocha, Kane Nissenbaum and Jake Lew (3) were standouts for the Jackas. The Jackas will be frantic for a win here because, if other results go against them, they could find themselves in the bottom two.

Hoping for a better result than their 93-point beating last time they met, Mazenod will need to play at their absolute best to upset Old Carey (3^rd). Will Nichols will undoubtedly be a high priority for the Nodders, as he racked up a BOG display in their last meeting and has been in fine form in recent weeks. With a win potentially elevating them to 2^nd, or even as high as first pending other outcomes, the Panthers will be relentless in their barrage.

Parkdale Vultures face the competition’s weightiest opponents in top dogs St Bernard’s this round. St Bernard’s piled on a convincing 105 point win against the then win-less Parkdale Vultures in Round 3, and if their recent escapades are anything to go by, it could be a very similar situation this time. Currently riding a three game losing streak, the Vultures need to err cautiously in these final six weeks as the likelihood of relegation is not impossible.

Caulfield Grammarians have found the going tough in the last four rounds, having lost on each occasion to teams below and above them on the table, and it won’t get any easier this week as they host red-hot University Blacks. The Blacks thrilled in a 14-point win against the Fields in Round 6, but will be searching for a more persuasive win this time around.

With everything on the line, the match-up between Old Haileyburians (8^th) and Monash Blues (10^th) could just be the deciding factor come end-of-season demotions. Their Round 7 clash saw Monash Blues banish their blues for the first time when they overran the then win-less Bloods. With both sides coming off confident from Round 12 victories to Ajax (Bloods) and Parkdale Vultures (Blues), this is anyone’s guess.