By Marc McGowan
SPRINGVALE Districts suffered a heart-breaking loss – and its finals spot – to Oakleigh District by 74 points in Division Two Southern Football League (SFL) action at Princes Highway Reserve on the weekend.
“It was unexpected really,” Demons coach Stephen Hughes said.
“The footy we had played recently had people thinking there would be a better output.”
Springvale came into the match on the back of a five-game winning streak, but was thumped by an inspired Oakleigh unit.
Oakleigh District’s win enabled it to steal Springvale Districts’ spot in the four.
It was a non-contest from the outset, with Oakleigh District putting seven goals on the scoreboard by quarter-time compared with the Demons’ one. It got worse from there, with the margin blowing out to 55 points by the long break.
The Demons emerged from half-time a changed team but only managed to slice the lead by two points. The final quarter served Springvale Districts another dose of reality as Oakleigh plundered five goals to two.
“Oakleigh played a terrific game and we didn’t bring our game,” Hughes said.
“I think we lost the game in the first 10 minutes – our boys were just waiting for someone to do something. We are hurting pretty badly.”
Pirates prepare to plunder
PARKMORE confirmed its premiership favouritism by comfortably disposing of fellow finals aspirant Mount Waverley by 33 points in their Division Three SFL match at Mayfield Reserve on Saturday.
The Pirates set the tone from the outset, but their poor goalkicking became a trend, the team kicking four goals from 10 shots to lead by 11 points at quarter-time.
Parkmore was at its devastating best in the second period, plundering seven goals from an amazing 16 scoring shots to take the first-half honours by 42 points.
The Mountain Lions came out fighting in the second half and matched the Pirates’ four-goal output in the third term before finishing the stronger team with five goals to three in the final quarter.
“It was good to finish on top (of the ladder),” Parkmore assistant coach Gary Connolly said. “It was satisfying because that’s what we planned for mid-year.”
He was not too concerned with the side’s goalkicking woes.
“We were blazing away from everywhere,” Connolly said. “The week before we kicked 18.1 or something in the second half. It was a tricky wind (this week).”
Parkmore plays North Kew next week in the major semi-final and Connolly expects to regain the services of gun goalkicker Danny Casset, who is struggling with a knee injury, for the showdown.
Dandenong ends with win
DANDENONG finished the SFL Division Three season with a 23-point triumph over the winless Sandown at Greaves Reserve.
The Demons entered the match knowing they could not make the finals and started off exactly like that.
The Cobras kicked four goals from 10 scoring shots to rollick out to a 15-point buffer at the first break.
They continued to control the match in the second period, booting three goals to two to lead by 20 points at half-time.
The break was just what Dandenong required, the players roaring back to life with six goals to two to forge to a six-point lead at three-quarter time.
Class continued to tell in the last quarter as the Demons thumped five goals through Sandown’s defence to finish strongly.
Dandenong playing coach Mick Hawken said it was a good result in the end.
“It was hard to get the boys motivated (before the game),” he said.
After a five-match winning streak earlier in the season put them in the top four, the Demons looked assured of a finals spot until an upset loss to Skye two weeks ago.
Sandown president Lew Short was as defiant as ever and offered confidence to the club’s fans for next season.
“We took it right up to them,” he said. “We have improved as the season has gone on.”
Cobras captain Robert Kreskas, who missed the game due to injury, was named Sandown’s best and fairest in one of the club’s few highlights for the season.
Pumas drop down ladder
LYNDALE finished a disappointing season in familiar style, going down to fellow struggler Caulfield by 18 points in Division Two SFL play at Barry Powell Reserve on Saturday.
The loss dropped the Pumas another place on the ladder, with only Canterbury below them at the season’s end.
Lyndale made a spirited start to the contest, jumping out to a 12-point break at the first change and maintaining the margin throughout a tight second term.
The Bears came out snarling in the second half, booting six goals to none in the third term to effectively end the match.
The 28-point three-quarter time margin proved too much for the Pumas, but they finished strongly, kicking five goals to Caulfield’s three to add some respectability to the scoreboard.
“It was the same as every game this season – we dropped off for one quarter,” Lyndale coach Danny Scott said.
“We were under no illusion as to where we were at the start of the season.
“At the end of the day we were more competitive than the year before. We did well in the twos as well, so there is some depth there.”
Scott has been forced to step down from his post due to work commitments and will be replaced by former Doveton Eagles’ coach Paul Wilson from next season.Eagles’ wings clipped
DESPITE a strong start, Doveton has crumbled to South Mornington by 31 points in their Division Three SFL clash at Power Reserve on the weekend.
In a miserable season, the Eagles finished on just three wins, and Saturday’s result added to a big list of poor performances after last year’s strong showing.
Doveton jumped out of the blocks kicking seven goals to three to open up a 26-point break at quarter-time. They plummeted from there on as the Tigers’ workrate picked up.
South Mornington slammed on five goals to two in the second term to cut the deficit to just eight points at half-time.
The trend continued after the break as the Tigers went on a rampage, booting eight goals to the Eagles’ two, taking control of the game to lead by 30 points. The teams played out time in the final stanza, both struggling to kick accurately at goal and managing just one major apiece.
“Besides Parkmore last week, we’ve been pretty good recently,” Doveton playing coach Paul Davis said. “We’re probably only three or four players off the top bracket.
“We have to improve our fitness but we’ve got some good young kids coming though, so we’ll be OK.”
