Richmond Central surge into top-five, as ladder leaders flex their muscles

Division 3’s top teams weren’t mucking around in Round 9, with triple-figure thrashings being the theme of the weekend.

St John’s picked up where they left off, recording a 120-point smashing over Chadstone. An eight-goal opening term by the JOCs set them in motion, outclassing a resilient Synners side. St John’s extended their lead to over 100 points by three-quarter time, and a further six majors in the last quarter capped off a dominant display.

St John’s had 11 individual goal kickers in the match, however Matthew Carnelley’s eight was the standout. Mitch Barry and Harvey Emery also booted bags of five, as Callum Houghton was deemed best on ground.

Despite the large margin, Chadstone managed multiple goals each quarter. Bethel Loh (4), Ben Ogilvie (3), and Lachie Dowsett (3) combined for ten of the Synners 11 goals for the match, with Logan Stott earning the most BOG votes for Chadstone.

Chadstone have the chance to rectify their loss against the winless Box Hill North next week, in a predicted tight match.

A second-half blitz from North Brunswick has ensured their unbeaten streak continues, with a 108-point win against Albert Park. A Division 4 Grand Final rematch, the Falcons played defiantly in the opening quarter to try avenge last year’s defeat, kicking the first two goals of the game.

The Bulls switched on soon after however, and grinded out an 18-point advantage by halftime. A 16 goal to 2 second-half quashed any chance of an Albert Park upset, as the Bulls ran rampant. North Brunswick piled on five goals in the last ten minutes of action, ensuring a ladder percentage of over 200% was maintained.

Selected last week in the Big V squad, Fletcher Banfield was once again best on for North Brunswick, as Luke Russell kicked five. Felix Metz, Joshua Rennie and Hamish West were amongst Albert Park’s best, as the Falcon’s look to refresh following their Round 10 bye.

Despite a competitive effort in the first half, Box Hill North were defeated by a hungry Power House outfit at Elgar Park. Power House were defeated comprehensively by St John’s last round, and rebounded with energy after the bye.

The Demons led throughout the majority of the first term, however trailed by four points at the break. Missed opportunities in the second quarter gave way for Power House to increase their advantage, but the game still hung in the balance with a 21-point halftime margin. However, as great teams do, Power House managed to click into gear and barraged the Demons with ten third-quarter goals, followed by seven more in the last.

Box Hill North Coach Jeff D’Amato found positives out of his Demons first half. “We started really well with great pressure, and we matched one of the top Div 3 contenders for two quarters. We should’ve been in front at the half with squandered opportunities in front of goal,” D’Amato said.

“To Power House’s credit, after the long break they came out a much determined, hungry team and smashed us in the clearances… We’ll look to regroup and train hard four our next two against Chadstone and Eley Park.”

PHAFC ultimately ran out 108-point winners, as Luke Stubbs kicked an enormous 11 goals. Benjamin Circosta and James Kiernan were also amongst the best for Power House.

In a high-stakes match, Richmond Central have extended La Trobe University’s losing streak with a 37-point victory. The Snakes were defensively sound throughout the match, holding La Trobe to just 16 points at halftime. Richmond Central were additionally impressive in attack, kicking an accurate 9.1 (55) in the first half.

La Trobe matched the Snakes in the second half; however, the damage was already done. The Trobers managed to outscore Richmond Central by five points to reduce the final margin to 37.

With this result, the Snakes have slithered their way up into fifth position on the Div 3 ladder, as their Match Ratio has overtaken Swinburne University’s. Despite a 1-3 start to the year, the Snakes have won their last four in a row to produce a mid-season surge. They play Eley Park next week in an opportunity to make it a fifth-consecutive win, and maintain their current finals spot.

Canterbury have flexed their muscles against Swinburne University, and now sit a game clear in second place. The Cobras wrestled an eight-point quarter-time lead after a gritty opening term, but kicked away in the second. The Razorbacks managed to linger in the contest up until the last quarter, trailing by just under five goals at three-quarter-time. However, a 9-2 goal final term burst open the floodgates for Canterbury, as they ran out 62-point victors.

Jayden Cutts and Brad Kelleher kicked six each, joining James Boarotto, Nathan Beacom and Samuel Hinton in the best.

Liam Brunton and Justin Burch were the Razorbacks best as Aidan Vesty punted three.

A top-of-the-table clash highlights a thrilling round of Division 3 football to come. North Brunswick face their biggest threat to their undefeated record, as they host an in-form Canterbury side. The Cobras will be out for revenge after falling short by seven points to the Bulls in Round 3.

Swinburne play St John’s and La Trobe face Power House in two season-shaping matches for the collegiate sides, both now sitting out of the top-five.

Richmond Central host Eley Park, and Box Hill North encounter Chadstone in a prime opportunity to get on the winners list for 2024. Albert Park has the bye.