Quinn, Williams line up for tons

By Paul Pickering
DIVISION Two spearheads Adam Quinn and Mark Williams stepped up the pace in the race towards the magical century mark on the weekend, kicking 22 goals between them in Southern Football League (SFL) action on Saturday.
Quinn’s 14-goal bag helped Dingley drop the hammer on Hampton’s finals hopes at Souter Oval, yet the Dingoes coach could not manage to squeeze himself on to the best players list in the 169-point drubbing.
“I got a few cheap ones,” he said after equalling his personal best performance.
“There were a few handballs over the top in the goal square.”
The coach was actually fined by his team-mates for the privilege of capitalising on their good work and will donate a slab to the footy trip.
Agonisingly, Quinn was marked by the same Hammer defender for the entire day.
He later told of his words of consolation for his young opponent.
“I told him if the ball’s coming down 30 times and you only get 14 kicked on you, you’ve probably had a win for the day,” he said.
The haul took Quinn’s season tally to 88, with many believing the ton is within his grasp this week against Oakleigh District.
After booting 14 goals to four in the first half against Hampton, the Dingoes turned the match into a training drill after the main break, kicking 17.9 to 0.1 – including an 11-goal final term.
Steve De Bolfo and Brett Gniel were near unstoppable, orchestrating countless forward thrusts and snaring three goals each to complement their statistics.
For a buoyant Quinn, though, it was the resurgence of Jake Moore that was most pleasing.
The silky-skilled left-footer has regained the damaging form of 2005 after floundering in the reserves last year.
“He is just such a gifted footballer – a really cool, calm and collected lad,” Quinn said, praising the 27-year-old forward for committing himself to seniors footy this season.
While the Dingoes are three games and 146 percentage points clear of third spot on the ladder, Quinn said he would not be resting fit players in the lead-up to September.
“I think resting blokes can have the reverse effect,” he said.
“I’ve told the boys that the scoreboard is irrelevant at the moment, we’re just aiming to put into practice the things we’re working on in training.”
Demons forward forks Pumas
While Quinn was putting the nail in the Hammers’ coffin, Springvale Districts focal point Mark Williams slotted eight goals in the Demons’ 106-point win over Lyndale to move within 24 goals of a personal ton.
Williams was ably assisted by Mark Charles and Gavin Vassallo down forward, each booting four majors as the Demons dismantled the Pumas over a four-quarter onslaught.
Lloyd Wells and Ryan Forsyth were also prominent in the victory, while Tristan Caples and Christian Egan continued the stellar seasons for the Pumas.
Lyndale’s Adrian McCracken capitalised on limited supply from his midfield to boot seven for the afternoon.
The Demons will look to extend their unbeaten streak to 14 this week as they host Caulfield (9-4) at Springvale Reserve.
The Bears, who are in third spot, should provide stiff opposition after returning to the winners’ list with a 58-point victory at home against Murrumbeena.