Top sides deliver statement wins while optimism remains high around the competition

Round 2 in the Division 3 Men’s competition seemed to have a little bit of everything across the five games as the season’s storylines begins to appear.

Box Hill North claimed their first win for the season against La Trobe University being 12-point winners at home.

The Demons looked the goods from the start as they got out to a red-hot start by scoring the first four goals for the quarter with Sean Donavan being the only one to score multiple with the Trobers left goalless.

However, the tables were soon to be flipped with La Trobe rallying their way back in the game in the second with five goals with no reply to lead by 10 points into the half.

It became a tight affair throughout the third and most of the fourth with neither team being able to get beyond a two-goal lead.

But in the end, Josh Alderson and player-coach Beau Parthenides both scored goals late in the final quarter to seal victory for the Demons.

Parthenides noted the importance of this win to help reconfirm that his game plan is working saying “The first win when you’re changing the culture can be the hardest.”

Wattle Park has provided a controlling win against last year’s minor premiers in North Brunswick beating them by 63 points.

Much of the focus for this week for the Animals’ coach Glen Hopkins was being able to control the ball and the pace of the game which they were able to do to great effect.

This was particularly evident in the second quarter when they were able to convert their high possession rate and link up chains into scores as they managed to kick 7.4 while holding the Bulls to only two goals for the quarter which saw the game being put out of reach.

For North Brunswick, this result may be somewhat of a surprise considering that last year it was often them delivering these sorts of margins to the competition.

But despite the result, they still remain one of the favourites for the premiership and with the Easter bye this week, this should give them plenty of time to reset and focus on the rest of their season.

Richmond Central continues their undefeated start to the season with a 46-point win against Albert Park.

Similar to last week, the Snakes were slow to get out of the blocks with Albert Park taking a five-point lead into quarter time with the Falcons’ ability to win the ball in the contest and ability to transition the ball quickly being well and truly on display.

While the Snakes did have the lead at halftime, coach Michael Motta admitted that he thought the Snakes were lucky to be as close as they were in the first half, but he noted that when his team needed to, they could turn it on.

Richmond Central were able to move the ball quicker in the second half and create more chances on the scoreboard which would eventually show as they built out a comfortable lead in the third quarter.  

For Albert Park, it is still taking some time to gel with their new players, but the signs of improvement are there even from just last week.

Coach Jack Aimes noted that the Falcons were able to improve and create stronger chances inside 50 resulting in them kicking 10.11 compared to last week’s 6.12 against North Brunswick.

Power House have backed up their dominant performance from last week with a massive 212-point victory over Eley Park on their home deck.

It was a clinical performance from Nick Cox’s men who dominated from start to finish as they were able to win the ball at the centre bounce and score with ease.

In front of goal, Jack Taylor-Evans managed to kick a whopping 10 goals which sees him head into Round 3 leading all VAFA competitions with 17 goals across his two matches.

He would be joined by his teammate Matt Auchettl who also scored 10 goals for Power House.

Tyler Ames, James Kervin, Mitchell Newman and Benjamin Circosta would round out the best on grounds for Power House.

Despite the result, Sharks coach Matt Embling was still proud of his team’s effort and their ability to continue to have a red-hot crack throughout the entire match.

Swinburne University has gone from losing by 140 points last week to being 100-point winners in a massive turnaround against Chadstone.

Some big performances from their captain Simon Heather and vice-captain Nick Ferguson who combined for 16 goals were the main catalyst for the Razorbacks who have drastically improved from the last time they played Chadstone.

But coach Johnny Andrinopoulos was most pleased by the fact that all 22 players contributed to the result showing a complete effort.

While it was another defeat, there are signs of the improvements that Chadstone have made from last year over the pre-season. During the third quarter, they managed to score 24 points to Swinburne’s 25 showing that they can be competitive against other Division 3 teams.

This will be used as evidence by Chadstone coach Ian Ledder as proof that when the Synners are able to stick to their game plan, they can be far more competitive than they were last year.

Looking ahead to Round 3, all ten sides will be using the Easter break as a chance to recharge their energy to come back raring to go. Power House will be hoping for an even bigger win when they host Chadstone in what will be a battle not too dissimilar from David vs Goliath. La Trobe University will host their first home game of the season against the undefeated Richmond Central.

The Razorbacks will look to make it two wins on the trot at home as they play Eley Park. Although Eley Park did beat Swinburne last season which will give the Sharks hope. Both North Brunswick and Box Hill North will be motivated by the prospect of being 2-1 after their clash when they play each other at Allard Oval. And in the second instalment of the Battle of the Parks in Division 3, Wattle Park will play host to Albert Park.