By JARROD POTTER and DAVID NAGEL
IN A walk-over victory to outshine all of Noble Park’s other massive wins this season, the Bulls gave no inch to Knox – which was turned into Falcon stew in a 141-point butchering.
The carnage could’ve been more severe and crept towards 200 points but, thankfully for Knox’s sake, the swirly breeze at Moodemere Street made the big sticks slightly elusive as the home side jagged 23.17 for the afternoon.
Even though it would be easier to list who didn’t kick goals, the major contributors to the Noble Park scoresheet were Matt Dunne with five, three each to Sean Goedheer, Dan Galante, who returned for his first match since April, and Luke Mann, while Dan Keely, Luke Cody and Andrew McConnell bagged braces.
Brad Scalzo had his best match of the season and Dan Keely, Tim Kelly and Stewart Kemperman also tore apart any resistance the Falcons could muster.
Noble Park moves back into the top-three with the win and Norwood’s 23-point loss to Vermont – final battle of the home-and-away season has the Bulls travelling to face Lilydale.
With a better percentage than Norwood, a win to Noble Park will earn it a home elimination final against the aforementioned team on 31 August or 1 September.
CASEY CARDINIA
KEYSBOROUGH coach Chris Bryan can tick off the word ‘improvement’ from his 2013 wish-list after the Burra scored a meritorious seven-point win over Tooradin at Rowley Allen Reserve.
The Burra broke free of the shackles applied in the first three quarters to overhaul the Seagulls with a 5.2 to 0.2 final term to claim their sixth win for the season.
“We really set ourselves to start well, to show our supporters in our last home game what we’re all about, but we didn’t start well,” Bryan said.
The Burra stemmed then changed the tide in the third quarter, with Bryan himself contributing two third-quarter goals, as the home side cut the lead to 23 at the final break to set up a thrilling final term.
Players like Bryan (two goals), Glen Hawthorn, Geoff Humphreys and Bryce Sutton lifted in the last quarter, swamping the Seagulls with an inspiring team effort.
“It took us about eight minutes to get the first goal on the board, but we kept playing attacking footy and it was great to get over the line in the end,” Bryan said.
Chris Capsalis and Michael Downie were other notables to lift the Burra to their fourth win in five thrillers this season.
Keysborough travels to Beaconsfield this week for their final match of the season.
VWFL – SOUTH EAST
FIGHTING atrocious conditions, St John’s Old Collegians advanced to the VWFL preliminary final after besting Seaford by 30 points.
With the wind howling towards the beach end of Ben Kavanagh Reserve in Mordialloc, the plans to contain the Tigers’ attack had the JOCs best patrol the defensive end.
Gradually eking out a lead, St John’s snapped Seaford’s resolve with a pair of last term goals – as Kerry Trevillian drilled one to Densley to kick the first, before the coup de gras came as Tenielle Potter long bomb was crumbed by Catherine Weeks and converted to take the 5.5 (35) to 0.5 (5) triumph.
“We worked on a lot of things at training – tried to bottle it all up, play our game and hope it stood up,” St John’s coach David Kerr said.
“We were rotating all our on-ballers through the backline – especially when Seaford at the wind – just to stabilise it a bit.
“Michelle Densley, Bronwyn Rogan, Amanda Hancock and the whole backline really stood up.
“It was so windy and to hold them goalless was an amazing effort.”
The cross-town showdown takes place again in a preliminary final, with Keysborough out to avenge, not only its 29-point loss to Scoresby this weekend, but also its preliminary defeat last season at the hands of St John’s.
Keysborough sustained a 1.5 (11) to 5.10 (40) loss to Scoresby in Burra mainstay Roslyn Hubeek’s 150th VWFL match.
Hubeek kicked the first goal of the match, Keysborough’s only major for the afternoon.
Kaci Hillis, Kylie Williamson and Maddison Blackburn were the best for the Burra.
