Kew survive a Bullants scare as Glen Eira make it a perfect dozen

Ben Black

The gap between Glen Eira and the rest of Division 1 continues to widen as we move into the final third of the home and away season. 

The Gryphons prevailed in a hard fought contest against Old Peninsula. After a tight opening term, Glen Eira were able to open up an 18 point lead at half time, and kept the Pirates at bay from then on. 

Sean Bass and Finn O’Donnell kicked six goals between them as a dynamic duo up forward whilst Ben Gillett played his best game of the season. The scoring machine of the Gryphons has been slowed in recent weeks however the defensive unit of the side has been the real feature of 2023. 

Teams will be hard-pressed in the run to September to kick a winning score against the boys of Packer Park.

Kew had to come from behind against the Preston Bullants and then hold them off as they closed quickly in the contest. 

The Bullants could’ve put a greater gap between themselves and the Bears in the opening term, keeping them goalless they kicked 3.6.24 to open up a 22 point lead. The Bears answered with six goals of their own in the second term to take the lead by 8-points at half-time. 

The lead extended to 19 points before the Ants got momentum back on their terms and closed the margin to 3 points on the final siren. 

Kew could consider getting out of jail in this one, Preston kicked 2.5 in the final quarter to get into a winning position. 

Hugo Byron was named the best for the Ants whilst Liam McLeod kicked two. The Bears kept their finals chances alive with the win, William Llewelyn instrumental up forward with three goals. Max Waters was named the best on ground after his strong performance. 

Kew take on Prahran in a fortnight, another win for the Bears will put them on level points with them. Preston will take on Ivanhoe AFC hoping to put a two game gap on the last placed side.

Prahran are in a rich vein of form at the moment, having now won three games on the bounce. They’ve now put Oakleigh to the sword and closed the gap on the second placed Krushers by a game. 

The Krushers kicked three goals in the opening term, two of those from the boot of Aaron Cloke. After quarter time, the two-blues went to work and kept Oakleigh goalless from there. 

Daniel Campbell (three goals) led the way, whilst Zac Podmore, James Musster and Ethan Plaza combined for six goals between them. 

Oakleigh will naturally be disappointed with the loss, after having won four games in a row, they’ll have an extra week to think about this one. They’ll look to return to the winners list when they face West Brunswick in Round 13. 

Brenton Egglestone has outshone his brother Jarrod from the weekend with a bag of five as Therry Penola produced a brilliant performance against UHS-VU. 

A two point lead at half-time to the boys of Uni High, saw them fall by the wayside after half-time as the Lions took hold of the contest with five goals to open up a 20 point lead at the final change. The momentum the Lions had garnered was enough to further stretch the lead out to 46 points when the final siren rang out. 

The victory for Therry levels them with UHS-VU, both sides now sit on 7 wins for the season. It pushed the Lions into the top four and the boys of Uni High have fallen from third place to fifth with six weeks to go. 

Nicholas Castaldi has had a great fortnight, and will be looking to continue his strong form when the footy returns after the representative bye. 

UHS-Vu will be looking to get back on the winners list in Round 13 with a trip down the highway to face off against Old Peninsula. 

Therry have the toughest task in Division 1, Glen Eira at Packer Park. 

In the return bout from the 2022 Division 2 Grand Final, West Brunswick made it two wins in a row against Ivanhoe AFC. A nine point victory in a hard fought slog. 

Prone to close contests, one point separated the sides at three quarter time before the Magpies finished the stronger over their black and white opponents. 

Luke Buckler kicked two for West Brunswick, while Josh Elston did his best and fairest chances no harm with another best on ground performance. 

Coach of Ivanhoe AFC Wayne Schultz kicked two majors and fought his way through the contest valiantly. 

The victory for West Brunswick pushes them two games clear of Preston Bullants, potentially safe from relegation. They’ll face off against Oakleigh this week looking for two wins in a row. 

Ivanhoe AFC take on Preston Bullants, could the Hoers get the win and push themselves to equal pegging with the Ants?