Eagles pounded

By Paul Pickering
THE Doveton Eagles suffered their first defeat of the season on Saturday, lowering their colours to Hampton in the top-of-the-table Division Three clash at Widdop Crescent Reserve.
The Hammers broke a quarter-time deadlock to extend their lead at each break on their way to a 46-point victory.
That was despite another six goals from Eagles juggernaut Ricky Ramsdale and some stout defence from Adrian Piccioli.
The Eagles also received good service from Brayden Keown and Kaine Bundy, but it wasn’t enough to offset an incredibly even performance from the home side – with five players booting three goals apiece.
Elsewhere in Division Three, league newcomer Southern Dragons condemned Dandenong to the SFL history books, holding off the Redlegs to record the club’s first win.
The Dragons led by just one point at the last break, but finished strongly to win by 13 and anchor Dandenong to the bottom of the table.
Pat Henderson was the shining light for the Redlegs, booting five, while skipper Brad Rae, Sam Ferrari and Brendan Allen were also among the better performers.
Meanwhile, a goal-less first term saw Sandown give Skye a five-goal head-start, and the Cobras failed to make any inroads on the way to a 64-point loss.
Lem Nguyen booted three goals for the visitors, while Zain Machfud was impressive in edging out the in-form Shane Cosstick for top votes.
In Division One, Springvale Districts travelled to the Peanut Farm to receive a football lesson from ladder-leader St Kilda City.
The Demons could manage only three behinds in the first half as the unbeaten Saints surged to a 10-goal lead.
They fared marginally better after the interval, finishing four for the match in a 101-point defeat.
Experienced duo Mark Charles and Gavin Vassallo were among few winners for the Demons, while teenage star Jackson Sketcher kicked two goals in his return from TAC Cup duties with Sandringham.
Saints big man Miles Quinn (five goals) was the dominant player on the ground.
At Souter Oval, Dingley surrendered its top-five spot when it was outgunned by a fast-finishing Cheltenham.
The Dingoes led the game until late in the second quarter, but lost by 34 points on the back of a two-goal second half.
Key defender Darren Andrews had the better of Rosellas star Dominic Dunne (three), but Daniel Atkin and Rohan Watson proved to be no match for classy forwards Andy Taranto (two) and Matt Andrews (six).
Dingley stars Bret Lavars, Brett Gniel and Daniel Turcarelli were typically damaging, but the home side would have taken more joy from the form of polished second-gamer Jack Clausen on a wing.
In Division Two, Lyndale had eight more scoring shots than Moorabbin and still couldn’t secure the win.
The visiting Roos kicked 10 straight to Lyndale’s 4.7 in the first half, opening up what turned out to be a match-winning break.
The Pumas kicked six goals to three after intermission, but their gutsy comeback fell seven points short.
Jake Dowler booted three goals for the home side, while the Bastin boys, Daniel and Matt, found plenty of footy around the ground.