Finalists locked in after top five dominate in Round 17

The five teams competing in Division 3 September football are officially set, as four of the top-five sides decided their own fate by securing huge wins in Round 17.

North Brunswick travelled to Whitehorse Reserve to take on an improving Eley Park outfit, however their class proved too good on the day. The Bulls were attacking from the outset, scoring 57 points to one in the first term.

The Bulls would hold momentum over the Sharks for the entirety of the match, with Eley Park scoring just four goals overall. Whilst showing glimpses of good pressure and physicality, North Brunswick’s work rate overran the Sharks, with non-stop running efforts that caught an Eley Park defence off-guard.

North Brunswick finished the game 157-point winners, with strong performances from Andrew Lewis Poppa and Mitch Hicks, who kicked a bag of ten. Joel Kennedy and Matt Gallagher were best on for the Sharks.

Power House have firmly maintained their position on the Div 3 ladder with an 85-point trouncing of La Trobe University. After leading by 25 at quarter-time, Power House stepped on the gas in the second, piling on ten goals to two to break away from the Trobers. Credit is due to La Trobe however, fighting tirelessly through the second-half to stem the bleeding. Power House increased their final margin by just nine from halftime, the final scores 24.13 (157) to 11.6 (72).

Nigel Smyth and Luke Stubbs booted four each, as Max McCulloch and Matt Auchettl earned best-on-ground votes for Power House. Andrew Castles kicked four for La Trobe as Lachlan Webb was best-on.

Canterbury’s dominant 80-point win over Swinburne has officially locked in the top five teams of Division 3 with the Razorbacks now two games behind fifth-place on the ladder. Likewise, to Power House and North Brunswick, Canterbury too burst off the blocks, scoring 41 points whilst limiting Swinburne to just two. The Cobras would hold Swinburne to just nine points at halftime, however the Razorbacks stormed out of the sheds a much determined outfit in the third quarter.

Swinburne outscored Canterbury by 12 points, kicking six goals to four in a defiant period. The Cobras responded in the last however, kicking a game-high eight-goal quarter to put the finishing blows on Swinburne.

Bradley Field and Justin Burch were best-on for the Razorbacks, as Matthew Fotia’s six goals led the way for the Cobras.

Richmond Central have assured themselves a spot in September after a one-sided 63-point win over Albert Park. The Snakes played a consistent four-quarter effort, with the lead continuing to trend upwards as the game went on. The scoreboard doesn’t tell the full story however, with 23 behinds from Richmond Central highlighting it could’ve been a larger result had they kicked straight.

Eric Nelson (5) and Jack Bilson (4) were prolific for Richmond Central, kicking a combined nine goals for the afternoon. David Buegge was the only multiple goalkicker for the Falcons, snagging two.

Sitting outside the top-five for the majority of the season, the Snakes only entered finals territory in mid-June after a 1-3 start to their campaign. Since then, Richmond Central have won nine and lost just three to book themselves a finals fixture.

In one of the games of the season, Box Hill North have edged out Chadstone in a high-scoring thriller. It was neck-and-neck in the first term, with the Demons taking a minor one-point advantage over the Synners.

“The game of two of the bottom teams became a real high-quality shootout,” Box Hill North coach Jeff D’Amato said.

The Demons leapt out to a 30-point advantage midway through the second quarter, before Chadstone responded with 11 consecutive goals to reverse the margin in their favour. A couple late goals in the third period from Box Hill North kept them within touching distance however, but the Synners maintained a 19-point lead at three-quarter-time.

Heading into the last, Box Hill North made key changes to turn the tide.

“Alex Williams [went] into the middle, and Kyle Hocking [went] on to the dangerous Lachie Dowsett,” D’Amato said.

However, it was “individual brilliance” from key forward Blake Williams that sealed an all-time comeback from Box Hill North.

“[Williams] often had two to three guys dropping on him, but with the Demons getting on top all over the ground and some quality forward entries to Blake, [we] ended up winning by two points in one of the games of the year,” D’Amato proudly reflected.

Four goals to one in the final term resulted in the final scores of 18.11 (119) to 18.9 (117). Williams bagged nine for the game, as Chadstone’s Dowsett recorded ten. Ben Ogilivie produced an additional five, and Anthony Brown too tacked on three for the Synners.

With the Demons’ win, Chadstone will need to stun St John’s to avoid the wooden spoon.

One week remains for six teams’ seasons, whilst five squads will look to juggle the balance of winning in Round 18 and preserving their bodies for finals action.

Canterbury host La Trobe University, as Richmond Central face a potential finals matchup in a clash with North Brunswick. Box Hill North and Eley Park will do battle to win a fourth game for 2024, as Power House play Swinburne University. Chadstone travel to play St John’s, as Albert Park’s season concludes with the bye.