By Marcus Uhe
A second consecutive final quarter fade-out has consigned Rowville to a 0-2 start to the Eastern Football Netball League season, after being overrun by Balwyn on Saturday at Seebeck Oval.
The Hawks conceded a 33-point three-quarter-time lead to former Geelong captain Brenton Sanderson’s Tigers, going down 11.10 76 to 12.9 81, as Balwyn kicked seven-goals-to-one in the final quarter.
It follows their contest last week against Noble Park, in which they were unable to maintain a 29-point advantage at the final break.
The Hawks had led at every interval, and broke away from their opponents with a five-goal-to-two third quarter.
Balwyn kicked the first two of the last, to signal that they were still in the fight, but Rowville answered back through Lachlan Wynd’s fifth, converting from the top of the goal-square after a strong contested mark.
But Balwyn kicked the final five of the game, including the sealer with less than a minute remaining, to snatch victory from their highly-touted opponents.
It was former Kangaroo Josh Walker who inspired the Tigers, with four goals of his own in the last term.
He was too big and too strong for his Hawks opponents, but showed his versatility by scoring in a multitude of ways.
Not only did he outmuscle the defenders in contested marking situations, but he was able to beat them for pace on the lead, and even capped a length of the ground transition from his side by finishing the play with a miraculous snap on his right foot from hard against the boundary in front of the scoreboard.
His fourth goal in the 20th minute cut the margin to two points, and from that point onwards the contest resembled a rugby union scrum, with large numbers swarming the footy and players throwing themselves into contest after contest.
A scramble on the goal-line from a stoppage resulted in the Tigers squeaking home the winner, and they managed to hold on for a famous victory.
Star forward Matt Taylor was held goalless for the Hawks, after kicking five the week before against Noble Park.
Rowville head to Domeney Reserve next week to battle fellow winless side Park Orchards as they look to kickstart their season.
