Pirates bounce back as Bears remain undefeated

Lachlan Shaw

With players and their clubs now getting used to the routine of a football season again, the second round of the VAFA was run and won with a good blend of results. The Division 1 ranks provided the stronger teams with the opportunity to stamp their authority on the competition in a big way. With substantial percentage margins on the leader board, the pressure will now be on the bottom teams to improve in an attempt to match it with the leading contenders.

Kew made it two from two over the weekend, easily accounting for Brunswick with a 46-point victory at Gillon Oval. A slow start for the Bears did little to deter them from taking control of the match to secure victory, with their second successive win securing third spot on the ladder. Richard Wilton and Michael Hannan were strong in the forward line, sharing seven goals between them, while Matt Sharkey and Nathan Sambevski kicked two each. They will now be aiming for three wins in a row this weekend as they face up against the PEGS at PEGS Sporting Field. Brunswick’s failure to keep themselves in the contest for the entirety of the match means they will need to step up their game when they take on Prahan Assumption at Toorak Park this Saturday.

Despite wasting their opportunities in the forward line, Peninsula managed to bounce back from their loss in Round 1, defeating Therry Penola OB by 12 points at Harry McDonald Oval. The Pirates were never headed at any of the breaks and have now slotted into fifth on the ladder. Brett Macaulay slotted four majors for Peninsula while Jarrod and Brenton Egglestone shared eight goals between them for the Lions. The Pirates will again be playing at home this week as they match up against Oakleigh. Suffering their first loss of the season, Therry Penola will now take on Whitefriars at John Pascow Fawkner Reserve for their Round 3 clash.

A slow start for the PEGS in the first quarter, where they were down by 23 points, saw them turn the match on its head defeating Prahan Assumption at PEGS Sporting Field. Riley Simmons starred with five goals for the winning side while Adrian Romanyk, William Brkic, Daishell Smith and Marcus Luisetto were some of the other best players for the PEGS. With two wins on the trot, they will be looking to make it three in a row when they come up against Kew this weekend. Prahan Assumption will be disappointed with themselves, given they gave up a handy lead at quarter time and went on to lose the match. This week, they will take on Brunswick at home as they aim to get back on the winners list.

Old Camberwell Grammarians have continued their dominant start to the season, beating Oakleigh by 27 points at W.A. Scammell Reserve. Riley Verbi and Ben Hart proved to be strong targets up forward, sharing seven goals between them while Aaron Cloke booted five majors at the other end of the ground for the Krushers. Retaining their spot on top of the ladder, with a massive percentage rate of 190.48%, they will now take on St Mary’s Salesian on their home turf at Ferndale Park. Now suffering two losses to start their season, Oakleigh will come up against Peninsula this Saturday, with a tough game expected for them at Harry McDonald Oval.

A tight tussle engulfed the match between Whitefriars and St Marys Salesian, with the Friars holding on to get their first win in the bank for the season by 10 points. Daniel Wood kicked five goals up forward with the other best players to feature including Jordan De Zilwa, Mark Stratford, James Harkins, Ciaran Hickey and Christian Feher. Sitting in fourth spot on the ladder, the Friars will come up against Therry Penola OB for their Round 3 clash on Saturday. While disappointed to go down by a small margin, St Mary’s Salesian will be aiming to bounce back strongly this weekend. However, they will come up against some tough opposition in the form of ladder leaders Old Camberwell Grammarians.