Red Devils red-hot in Div 3 Men’s

Sheridan Harris

Canterbury piled on 12 goals in the third quarter as they downed Albert Park at Canterbury Sportsground and climb into fourth spot on the ladder. The Falcons were in the hunt for the first half of the match, only down by 11 going into the main break but the Cobras turned the screws in the third. It was goals-aplenty all day for Canterbury, with ten individual goalkickers and half of them kicking more than one. Nick Szabo (3) once again kicked majors, with Matthew Lawson (4), Luke Venditti (3), Thomas Lowden (3) and Steven Pimm (2) all riding shotgun. The Falcons’ silver lining was Nicholas Materia kicking two goals, while senior coach Brett Tottenham pulled the boots on and snagged one himself. The Falcons are finding it tough going at the moment and sit on the bottom of the ladder as the only team without a win.

Parkside sits on top of the Division 3 ladder as the only undefeated side following their Round 4 victory over a valiant Richmond Central at Kevin Bartlett Reserve. It was an arm wrestle all day and a high-scoring affair, with the Snakes leading by 12 at the half time break before the Red Devils stormed home with 10 goals to six and ran out 16-point winners. Both teams boasted numerous multiple-goalkickers as Jake Munro kicked seven majors for the Snakes, with a guest-starring role from Jack Bilson (3), but it’s Parkside’s Simon Mackie (5) who now leads the divisional goalkicking tally. The Red Devils had nine individual goalkickers including Mackie, with Isaac Romano, Matthew Holden, and Jackson Hubbard all kicking two of their own. Liam Bourke was named best-on for the losing side, while Cody Lawson (1) got the honours and the win.

Rathmines Road Reserve was home to another Hawthorn win on Saturday as the Hawks outplayed Emmaus St Leo’s. Despite kicking six straight goals going into the main break, the Animals couldn’t find a way to break through as Hawthorn appeared to continuously find another gear and regain the upper hand, starting the second half 29 points up and eventually running away 34-point winners. The Hawks had ten individual goalkickers, Justin Raiti (3), Darcy Johnston (2) and Henry Kain (2) kicked multiples, and aptly named Charlie Boots was named best-on. For the Animals, Jack Hunt once again starred for the losing side, kicking five majors despite having to travel up the ground to get his hands on the ball at times, while Guy Donovan was named their best for his work around the ground.

Westbourne Grammarians lifted themselves off the bottom of the ladder after they defeated North Brunswick by 39 points at Allard Park for their first win of the season. The Warriors had their noses in front all day, limiting the Bulls to no score in the first quarter while they headed into the break 26 points up. Four goals to eight in the second half all but sealed the deal for Westbourne. Ali Eqbal (3) and his partners-in-crime Jakob Kennerley (3), Benjamin Johnson (3) and Lachlan Hind (3) led the charge, with the latter earning himself a best-on-ground vote for his efforts, as Chris Hudson (1) took the top vote for the winners. The news wasn’t all bad for North Brunswick despite the 39-point loss, with Peter Butler kicking two goals and Gary Savage finding plenty of it.

Round 5 begins this weekend, and Emmaus St Leo’s are donning their pink guernseys and raising money with their annual Ladies Luncheon as they welcome Richmond Central to Bennettswood Reserve. The Animals are coming off a loss but will aim to make amends in front of a large crowd, while the Snakes are looking for redemption despite a hard-fought loss in Round 4. Albert Park is playing host to North Brunswick as the Falcons search for their first win of the season while the Bulls will look to rebound after a disappointing loss. Canterbury is hoping to deal Parkside their first loss of 2021 when they travel to Pitcher Park with the Red Devils in red-hot form after four rounds. Parkside could very nearly make it 5-0 to position themselves well this early on in the season. Hawthorn is making the trek over to the other side of the city to take on the Westbourne Grammarians, who are fresh off their first win of the season. It’s this momentum that the Warriors will be looking to continue, while the Hawks’ round 3 win will set them in good stead for the battle.