Marcellin break their losing streak, as West Brunswick take St Kevins to the wire

Kristin Sims

Coming off a strong win last round, Caulfield Grammarians were looking to build on their momentum and take another win against Old Xaverians. Caulfield were playing with strength early on, showing tackling pressure to fend off the attack of Old Xaverians. It was Caulfield who showed command and took their scoring opportunities to have the upper hand early on. Old Xaverians were strong with the ball at times but Caulfield were too quick through the middle.

The backline of Old Xaverians were under pressure and were doing well to keep themselves out of danger, limiting the scoring chances of Caulfield which set things up for an exciting second half. After the main break the battle continued and some strong goal kicking in the wind helped Caulfield to start making some room between them and Old Xaverians. There were times where Old Xaverians were able to link up well and get the ball through the defence of Caulfield. Even when they got through, they were unable to get the goals needed to stay level with Caulfield. The final term saw Old Xaverians get their hands on the ball more and take the fight right to Caulfield, unfortunately their inaccuracy continued which allowed Caulfield to capitalise on their early lead and come away with the win.  

With Melbourne Uni in the fight for a spot in the top four it was another must win game for them, when they came up against Kew. Kew came out and made a statement early, getting on the scoreboard and putting Melbourne Uni on the back foot. Melbourne Uni weren’t going to go down easy and raised their attacking pressure after the initial scare to kick two unanswered goals. The game slowed down somewhat after the first quarter as the ball spent a lot of time around the middle of the ground. It was a hard fought contest with Kew eventually breaking through to score a much needed goal to bring them within a point.

As the half time siren sounded, it was all tied up. It could go either way from here and Kew wasted no time at all showing Melbourne Uni that they weren’t going to let this game go easily. From this point Kew continued to raise their work rate forcing turnovers and blocking Melbourne Uni’s ball movement. If Melbourne Uni did get some possession going, it wasn’t long before Kew were there to stop the run. The third quarter was all the difference in the game, as Kew kept Melbourne Uni scoreless but scoring themselves to set them up for the final term. In the final term Kew sealed the win with two more goals, keeping a tight hold on second place on the ladder. 

Marcellin have had some unlucky losses throughout the season and their match between St Marys was a battle to stay off the bottom of the ladder. Marcelling started off well, but it was St Marys who had the ball in hand more. The early run saw St Marys lining up for goal but the strong winds denied them from having any impact at all on the scoreboard. Some effective ruck work from Marcellin saw their clearances go up, which had an immediate impact for them on the scoreboard.

The strong offence continued from Marcellin and they kept control of the play for the majority of the first half. They went into the main break with a comfortable lead, having held St Marys to just one point. This would continue in the third term for Marcellin where they were able to cut off the offense of St Marys. St Marys struggled throughout the last half to get the ball inside 50 when they had the ball and Marcellin were able to take full advantage on the rebound and capitalise on the scoreboard. Although St Marys were able to cause some turnovers at times, they struggled to complete the plays and ended the day on just three points. For Marcellin they now have their first win on the board for the season and stay off the bottom of the ladder. 

With West Brunswick fighting for fourth place it would take their absolute best to get a win against competition heavyweights St Kevins. West Brunswick brought the heat early on and were able to get St Kevins to do something we have seen much this season, which was turnover the ball. West Brunswick were hot in defense and the ball movement that St Kevins have displayed so often throughout the year was slowed heavily. This resulted in a game where the ball was being won often on the ground. It showed that West Brunswick were up for the fight and the game could go either way.

At the end of the first quarter, the game was all tied up, if West Brunswick could keep this pressure up, an upset win was on the cards. Despite the same pressure from West Brunswick in the second quarter, St Kevins were able to find the gaps in the defense. Overall St Kevins produced a better attack in this quarter, they controlled the ball for longer periods and were impactful on the scoreboard. This allowed them to get some space between West Brunswick and breathe easier. St Kevins continued to keep ahead of West Brunswick, the third quarter was more of an arm wrestle like the beginning of the game. It was West Brunswick in this term that showed they weren’t going down easy. Their pressure went up again and they had St Kevins worried, causing mistakes in the attack of St Kevins. In the end St Kevins continued to press and showed why they are sitting firmly on top of the ladder. Holding on to win a close one.