Doveton Eagles possession magnet Matthew Fristad takes a leaping mark in front of his Sandown Cobras opponent on Saturday.Sandown veteran Mark Mann celebrated his 200th game on Saturday. Unfortunately the Cobras couldn’t get over the line. By Glen Atwell
THE Doveton Eagles remain perched on top of the Southern Football League (SFL) Division Three ladder after beating Sandown by seven points in a thrilling match at Power Reserve on Saturday.
In what was easily the best display of third division football this season, the Eagles and Cobras attacked relentlessly, entertaining the sizeable Doveton crowd with long kicking and rugged in-and-under contests.
Sandown tough nut Robert Kreskas set the tone of the game in the first three seconds, conceding a free kick after laying a ferocious high tackle moments after the bounce.
Brett Reid kicked the first goal of the game for Doveton after full-forward Peter Dye wasted an early opportunity in front of the big sticks.
Sandown won the first quarter by four points, according to the scoreboard, but it belonged to Doveton, which dominated the centre clearances but could not convert attacking chances into six-point plays.
The Eagles were clearly troubled by the quick legs of the Cobras, evidenced by Doveton speedster Daryl Thomas being pinged for holding the ball twice in the opening stanza.
Bustling Doveton full-forward Travis Gardner ensured his presence was felt as soon as he entered the field in the second term, snapping a goal over his head to put the Eagles back in front.
By half-time the two sides could not be separated, as Doveton erased the deficit with a run and carry style of play that combated the Cobras’ pace and forced Sandown to make errors on the rebound.
Sandown full-forward Clint Sheedy had been well held by Eagles defender Geoffrey O’Neill until half-time, but in the third term Sheedy let loose, bagging multiple goals as the Cobras surged clear.
But again the Eagles fought back late and reduced the margin to four points at the last huddle.
Inaccurate kicking for goal had cost Doveton a three-quarter time lead and that trend continued in the final term as the Eagles kicked 4.5 to Sandown’s 3.0.
The Cobras eventually ran out of legs, and Doveton did enough to secure the lead and deliver Sandown a knockout blow with the winning goal in the last minutes of the game.
Best for the Eagles were Brett Hidgcock, Scott Miller and Matthew Fristad.
Caleb Love and Clint Sheedy, who booted six goals, were best for Sandown.
