One Game and One Percent separate De La From Fitzroy

Eliza Wright

Finals footy is just around the corner as teams work hard to finish off the year strong. Eight seemed to be a lucky number for Beaumaris and De La Salle this week as the Sharks held onto their lead over St Bedes/Mentone Tigers by 8 points as did De La Salle in their clash against Williamstown. The Roys hold onto their top spot, triumphing over Old Carey while Old Haileybury record yet another well-fought victory over AJAX.

Beaumaris prevailed over St Bedes/Mentone down at Brindisi Oval. Despite the Sharks leading on the scoreboard, this game was far from one-sided. Beaumaris found themselves with a 16-point lead in the opening term as Connor Murphy and Sam Gibbins got to work in Beauys forward half. Riley Mihailovic also running hard around the ground to keep Beaumaris in front. St Bedes/Mentone took advantage of the wind in the second quarter with Kai Stretton putting on a show for his home crowd alongside Darcy Fountain helping the Tigers to decrease this margin to 11 points.

Determination from SBMT was not enough as Beaumaris had all the answers in the second quarter. Damien Johns and James Taylor read the play beautifully and took advantage of their possession as the Sharks walk away with 4 more points to their name. Next week 2^nd plays 4^th as Beaumaris take on Fitzroy meanwhile St Bedes Mentone will play AJAX. The Tigers are yet to beat the Jackers this year, with AJAX prevailing by 16 points in round 8, will St Bedes/Mentone finish the game on a high note and settle the scores? With both teams on 24 points, safe to say we have a tight battle on our hands.

De La Salle found themselves in another close game, in their encounter with Williamstown. With lots on the line and an axe to grind, a tough first quarter saw both teams struggle to grasp this game in their favour, resulting in a one-point margin falling the way of De La in the first quarter. Hugh Nicholson played his role through the middle with his agility and 2 handy goals for the day.

The second quarter saw Williamstown hit the lead as Harrison Carter and Robert Chan managed to gain clean possession of the footy and work the ball forward. CY kept the third quarter on their terms, despite best efforts from Thomas Deane-Johns, Jack Walker continued his reign down forward. The final quarter saw De La leave nothing on the ground. Trent Shannon and his three goals certainly helped De La’s case as did their composure and grit around stoppages. No doubt a crucial win for De La as they hold onto the win by 8 points. with only one game left to determine the home and away season only time will tell their September plans. They’ll have their work cut out for them in round 18 as they will come up against the Uni Blacks. As for Williamtown, they will play out one last battle against Old Haileybury. 

A heated battle between the Roys and the Panthers saw Fitzroy defeat Old Carey by 72 points. In Old Carey’s last game for the season, the Panthers kept the first quarter close, trailing by 2 points heading into the second term. Luca Anderson and Lachlan Senior continued to fight hard for Old Carey as the Roys forced their way to a halftime lead of 33 points. A fantastic game from Jack Wotherspoon who was hard at every contest, providing momentum through Fitzory’s midfield while Max Ellis kept the Roy’s backline locked down.

The Panthers couldn’t catch the Roy’s with a final score of 7.6-48 to Old Carey and 18.12-120 to Fitzroy. Finishing off the year with the bye round Old Carey can take some critical learnings from this season into the track, looking for a successful 2023 in Premier C. Round 18 will test The Roys as they come up against Beaumaris. Yet to defeat the Sharks this season, next week is as good a time as any to overcome Beauy. 

Despite only one game left, next week will play a huge role in the upcoming finals as De La knock on the door of Fitzroy, trailing by 4 points and 1%. Both coming up against top sides in round 18, next week will be an interesting one. Can either side cause an upset to lock themselves a place in the top four? A loss from both sides will see Fitzory hold onto 4^th while a victory from De La might see them charge ahead. 

AJAX couldn’t overcome Old Haileybury this week, going down to the Bloods by 70 points. Old Haileybury had the fall of the ball in the first quarter, hitting the lead by 19 points. In the second term, it was all tied up both sides at a stalemate of 48-points. Toby Lipton played a pivitol role down back for the Jackers, denying Old Haileybury of any easy goals. A Jack Lonie masterclass saw Old Haileybury run away with the lead in the second half. This week it was Brede Seccull taking control in front of goal with 3 goals to his name and a spot among the best.

The bloods continued to charge ahead in the final quarter, as Brodie Steele and William Paul wrestled the ball forward. A stellar performance as always AJAX’s from Brad Caplan with his 4 goals and resolve not going unnoticed. Next week AJAX have the chance to secure one final win for the year as they play St Bedes/Mentone. As for Old Haileybury, they will host Williamstown at Princes Park.