Statement victories for Parkdale and Beaumaris set up mouthwatering clash after Easter bye

The Parkdale Vultures have franked their credentials as a genuine contender for the Premier C crown this season, after an eleven-goal avalanche in the third quarter powered them to a thunderous 77-point victory over PEGS.

Despite a slender half-time lead, Vultures coach Owen Lalor insists his leaders were ‘frustrated by not playing their best footy’. A few magnet moves later and a stern warning confronted the competition – these Vultures will be at the pointy end once again.

Onballers Tarkyn O’Leary and Oliver Green were moved to the wings, providing significant drive between the arcs. Wingers Kai Colella and Hunter Lynch went to half-back, and impressed both rebounding the football, and defending one-on-ones. In the absence of talismanic forward Mitch Brown, centre half-back Jack Cheep was swung forward to great effect, booting an equal team-high three goals for the afternoon. 13 individual goalkickers contributed to the team’s tally, in ‘a real plus’ for Lalor’s side.

The 26.13 (169) to 14.8 (92) result sees the Vultures move to second on the ladder, while PEGS find themselves seventh, amidst a logjam of sides with a 1-1 record.

Above Parkdale on percentage only, sit AJAX, who on Sunday registered a second successive win by more than 50 points. The 19.17 (131) to 12.4 (76) victory over St Bedes/Mentone Tigers ensures new Coach Lachlan Buszard’s dream start to life as the Jackas figurehead continues.

In hot, blustery conditions at Elsternwick Park, AJAX piled on ten scoring shots to one in the first quarter, building a platform for their eventual resounding victory.

Pleasing for Buszard was the proficiency of the youth in his team. “Our average age was about 22 today,” he said. 18-year-old Jethro Gunn has impressed his coach and onlookers alike in his first two senior appearances for the club, booting five goals across the two fixtures, and providing a spark around the ground. “He is a beauty,” doted Buszard.

Toby Sheezel starred with a game-high four goals, joining ruckman Jake Wrobel as the only two Jackas to find themselves with best player nods in both games this season.

A nine-goal last quarter from Brad Berry’s men provided some reward for effort for the Tigers, who had managed just 20 points in the first three stanzas. Berry was pleased with the ‘healthy glimpses’ his side showed late in the game but was left disappointed with his side’s inability to regain the upper hand in three facets of the game they pride themselves on: contest method, team defence, and pressure.

Berry praised AJAX’s ‘slick’ foot skills, and their ‘ability to read cues and outnumber at marking contests’. The Tigers will spend the bye refining their disposal choices, particularly between the arcs, inspired by the Jackas’ willingness to always take the first option.

Sitting third heading into the Easter bye is Beaumaris, who bounced back from a Round 1 loss to the Tigers in emphatic fashion. Their 21.21 (147) to 7.5 (47) victory over Glen Eira/Old McKinnon was underscored by ‘fantastic and really organised defenders’ and ‘mids who highlighted their strengths’, according to well-pleased Sharks Coach Josh Bourke.

“We had a couple of things click and certainly some improved availability helped us. It was a bit of a strange game given the ground, and I think the scores ballooned a little as a result,” he said.

After six straight losses to end last year’s Premier B campaign, and a Round 1 loss last week, Bourke touched on how much a performance like Saturday’s means to the Sharks. “July 20th is the last time we sang the song. It (the win) was a really important one for us as a club,” he said.

Favourite sons in ruckman Callum Heath and midfielder Riley Virtue continued their strong starts to the season, with Josh Trew, Tom O’Rourke, Jai Florent and Liam Hayes also drawing Bourke’s praise.

On the back of limited rotations due to early injuries, the Gryphons were left to rue 13 red-time goals against, eight of which came in the second half. “We competed well till about the 20-minute mark of each quarter, but then they just overran us,” acknowledged coach Guy Martyn.

“In saying all of that, they beat us in every facet of the game – cleaner with their hands and execution of skills, stronger in the contest and able to pick us apart when they had the ball,” he continued.

It’s a winless start in Carnegie for Martyn, whose attention must now turn to a daunting trip to Brindisi Street, where his charges will encounter a smarting Tigers outfit, in a fortnight’s time.

Despite fewer scoring shots than the visiting Mazenod side, Marcellin eked out a three-point victory on Saturday, overcoming an 11-point halftime deficit. Eagles vice-captain Adam Tomaro backed up his brave efforts in last week’s loss, with another stellar performance, while Jarryd Raffa and Matthew Fewings led the way for the Nodders.

Nodders Coach Peter Banfield was complimentary of Marcellin’s performance in the ‘very hot’ conditions, declaring, “they outplayed us, and deserved to win.” The 10.11 (71) to 9.14 (68) result leaves both sides 1-1 at the bye, with Mazenod’s percentage much healthier than Marcellin’s, owing to the latter’s sizeable loss in Round 1.

In Armadale, Parkside exacted some revenge against Prahran, in the two sides’ first meeting since the Division 1 Grand Final of 2024. Compounding the 14.8 (92) to 9.3 (57) loss for Two Blues coach Craige Milward is a mounting injury crisis, which saw his side limited to one rotation for much of the contest.

“We must’ve ticked the footy gods off – we have suffered six key injuries in the first two rounds,” he said, while remaining tight-lipped about diagnoses for the unavailable players.

Milward conceded that an inability to defend their own turnovers hamstrung his side, in stark contrast to the Devils’ efficiency in this area.

Parkside have curiously conceded and scored 145 points across the first two weeks of the season, with their next chance to build some percentage coming against fellow northsiders Marcellin, after the bye. Next week’s slate also sees the banged-up Prahran facing the monumental task of slowing the competition leaders in AJAX, while PEGS play host to Mazenod and the Gryphons face St Bedes/Mentone.

Local bragging rights will once again be on the line in the match of the round, where second-placed Parkdale will be hosted by third-placed Beaumaris, at Banksia Reserve.