Animals pretty in pink, Wickers sitting pretty as ladder leaders

Sheridan Harris

On a cold Melbourne afternoon, Division 3 Men’s remains to some degree, a previously-division-four world, and we’re all just living in it, with both Elsternwick and South Melbourne Districts getting more wins on the board to keep their finals chances well and truly alive.

The Westbourne Grammarians unfortunately end the round on the bottom of the ladder despite a valiant effort to get a team together, as their reserves team forfeited for the second week in a row. Three out of four of the games surpassed the 100 points threshold, but wintery weather meant there were behinds kicked everywhere.

At Albert Park Oval 1, South Melbourne Districts took down a feisty North Brunswick side by 23 points, staying in the top four in the process. The Melbourne weather wreaked havoc on the scoreboard, with 10.18 to 7.13 the final score. Despite this, the Bloods kept their noses in front all day, limiting the Bulls to just three goals to half-time. A late rally in the fourth term wasn’t enough as South Melbourne Districts ran away with it, as Nicholas Koleits kicked three majors, and divisional goalkicking leader Oliver Dufficy contributing with two, as did Jamie Brooker and Jack White. Jack Cotton was their best. For the away side, Patrick Notaro kicked four goals to try and keep his team in it, while Marcus took top honours as best-on.

It was goals aplenty for Emmaus St Leo’s at Bennettswood Reserve as they ran away 127-point winners against a gutsy Westbourne Grammarians side. In front of a largely-pink crowd for their annual ladies luncheon fundraiser, the Animals kicked seven goals in the first quarter to well and truly set the pace, before kicking six more to leave a buffer of 72 points going into the main break. To the Warriors’ credit, they didn’t give up, registering 15 scoring shots by the final siren. Both Matt Hill and Jonathan Greensides kicked five majors each, while Dan Hill (4), Harry Davis (2), and Nathan Bird (2) rode shotgun as the home side’s multiple-goalscorers. Seasoned backman Joden Crothers also snuck forward for his goal for the year. For the losing side, Jordan Doyle (3), Nicholas Dimitriadis (1), and Michael Szulc (1) were the only goalkickers, and Benjamin Hodge was their best-on.

Elsternwick remains firmly on top of the ladder after storming home with an 8-goal final term to beat Parkside at Holmes Todd Oval. It was an arm wrestle all day, with the Wickers down by two points at quarter time before kicking seven majors to take a large buffer into the main break. But the Red Devils were never out of it, scaling back the deficit to just five points before Elsternwick showed their class. The Wickers’ Daniel Marchese (6), David Convery (5), and Julian Yeatman (4) all got on the board in a big way, but it was Dylan Jones (2) who was named best-on for his efforts. For Parkside, Simon Mackie (3) was back to his best, while Lewis Balcombe (3) and Shane Doherty (2) were good in front of goal, with the latter taking top honours.

A 16-goal first half set up Canterbury’s eventual 59-point win over Richmond Central at Canterbury Sportsground. It was a fairly even contest until the second quarter where the Cobras blew open the 10-point buffer they’d taken into quarter time to be up by 46 points going into the main break. The Snakes couldn’t seem to get a handle on Richmond Central’s lead, despite kicking five majors to Canterbury’s six in the second half. The Cobras had four multiple-goalkickers, with Thomas Lowden kicking five to be his side’s best player, while John Nicolopoulos (3), Ryan Murray (3), and Nick Szabo (2) all had their kicking boots on. For the away side, Jack Bilson (3) and Justin Perillo (3) continued their goalkicking ways, with Billy Browning-Briese taking top honours as best-on.

Richmond Central will have a fight on their hands when South Melbourne Districts arrive at Kevin Bartlett Reserve. The Bloods have lost no love since their divisional elevation, and will look to go 4-1 in the early stages of the year, while the Snakes have the chance to kickstart their top-4 hopes. For the third weekend in a row, Canterbury Sportsground is the destination for Canterbury, who will welcome ladder-leaders Elsternwick for their round six clash. Both teams are sitting on four wins, with the Wickers only ahead on superior percentage, which means top spot is up for grabs.

The rivalry will only grow for Emmaus St Leo’s and Parkside this weekend, with both teams likely to use the match as a strong test of where they’re at six rounds into the season. Pitcher Park is the destination for what is likely to be one of the matches of the round.

Hawthorn return from their bye and face a trek across Melbourne to play the Westbourne Grammarians at Westbourne Grammar, with the Warriors hoping to rally from an unfortunate couple of weeks and get a win on the board. It’s an interesting match-up for the Hawks, who will also be searching for their first four points of the year.
North Brunswick go into the bye in fairly good form, after knocking off Emmaus St Leo’s in round five and competing well against a fierce South Melbourne outfit despite getting the L.

Photo: Emmaus St Leos, the Animals