The Bulls continue their undefeated run as Masala wins a spicy contest

Billy Bolch

The first match of the round saw Box Hill North take on Masala in what was forecast to be the game of the round and that it well and truly was.

The Demons got the early jump over the Tigers kicking five goals in the first quarter whilst keeping the Tigers to two goals to take a handy 16-point lead into the first break. The second quarter saw Masala fight their way back into the game kicking four goals in a hard-fought 30 minutes of footy to bring the margin back to a solitary point at the main change.

At three quarter time, after a tight third term the Demons held a slim 4-point lead. Masala put together a proper spicy quarter of football in the final stanza, with some of their best form. A six-goal stampede saw the Tigers running out winners in one of the best games of the season.

Masala’s best against the Demons include Sean Downes, Jake Dunkley and Luke Decarne. The best for the Demons were Joshua Chivers, David Edwards and Jerome Tennison. Sean Downes took over up forward with six goals. Teammates James Dekel and Declan Fowler also added to the tally with 2 goals each.

Blake Williams kicked three goals for the Demons. Other goal scorers include Jyidin Williams (2), Jake Dullard (2) and Jameson Sterling Falzon (2).

Masala will now head back home to take on Eley Park whilst the Demons will face another tough task when they make the trip down to North Brunswick.

The weather over the Friday and Saturday made Tatterson Park a difficult venue to score on for St Johns and North Brunswick. Like much of the round, it became very scrappy affair early on.

North Brunswick got a good head start over the JOCs kicking three opening quarter goals whilst keeping their opposition scoreless. The second term saw the Bulls continue to add on the scoreboard pressure with 10 scoring shots, however, this only translated to 2 goals and 8 behinds.

The JOCs were able to kick their first goal but they still faced a challenge, being down by 35 points with a half to go. Heading into the final quarter up by six goals, the Bulls had control of the game but in another scrappy quarter, both teams struggled to hit the scoreboard with the only goal of the quarter being a single Bulls goal.

In the end, it was the Bulls that ran out winners by 43 points, continuing their winning streak in what was a tough and hard-fought game for both sides. 

Benjamin Ayache and Michael Horton were the goalscorers for the JOCs. Jareth Ombiga was the only multiple goal-kicker for the game with 2 goals for the Bulls.

Other goalkickers for the Bulls included Ashley Rae and Luke Russell. The best for the JOCs were Brendan Ash, Daniel Cattolico and Corey Ely whilst the best for the Bulls were Samuel Watt, Zac Dicianni and Adam Tsardakis. St Johns will look to get back to their winning ways as they host Albert Park in a must-win game.

The Bulls will host Box Hill North, a team that will really test them.

Eley Park and Albert Park did battle in a game where both sides needed a win. The Falcons got off to a dominant start kicking six goals whilst keeping the Sharks goalless to take a 39-point lead into the first break. The second quarter saw the Falcons continue to step on the accelerator adding another five goals to their tally. Opening up a 60-point lead at half-time, an almost insurmountable lead to overcome in a half is a challenging task for anyone.

The third quarter saw the Falcons continue their ways and remove any chance of a comeback by the Sharks with another elite quarter kicking six goals which saw the margin on the scoreboard open up to 96 points.

In the end, it was Albert Park that finished with a dominant 104-point victory, the second biggest of the season so far.

The best for the Sharks were Will Male, Jacob Rose and Zachary Hayes. The best for the Falcons were Ashley Evans, Jack Lee and Zak Knight. Tom Johnston controlled up forward for the Sharks with 4 majors.

Other Sharks goal-kickers were Alex Penkethman, Drew Crawford and Ben Ferguson. Jack Lee continues to be a problem for every opposition as he had another day out with 8 goals. Ashley Evans also added 6 goals for the Falcons taking his average to 5.5 goals a game.

The Sharks will now make the trip to North Dandenong to take on the in-form Masala whilst Albert Park will take on St Johns in what should be the match of the round.