By Marcus Uhe
Rowville’s five-match winning streak in the Eastern Football Netball League has come to a crashing halt at the hands of Vermont, losing its star ruckman Nik Schoenmakers in the process to a serious injury.
A stretcher was required for Schoenmakers during a second-quarter barrage to rub salt into gaping wounds for the Hawks, with a suspected broken leg ruling him out for the remainder of the stand-alone contest on Sunday afternoon, in which the Hawks fell 47-points short, 16.11 107 to 9. 60.
Slow out of the gate, the Hawks conceded the first three of the contest to the home side, who bossed territory and locked the ball in their front half.
But for all its dominance, goals to Maverick Taylor and Joshua Clarke in stoppage time meant the Eagles took just a nine-point lead at quarter time.
Despite sunny conditions, mud patches across the playing surface saw players struggle to their feet all over Vermont Recreation Reserve.
Goals were traded early in the second quarter before Vermont cut lose.
Dominance at the stoppages converted to the scoreboard, punishing the Hawks on turnover with quick ball movement from the back half.
Five goals in 11 minutes saw the margin quickly explode from four points to 35 late in the second term, not helped by poor discipline from Jackson McDonald and Anthony Brolic, both conceding 25-metre penalties for not returning the ball to their opponent’s correctly.
Adrian Kalcovski did the major damage, running rings around the Hawks defenders with four goals in the quarter alone kicking to the Canterbury Road end of the ground.
It was vicious football from the Eagles, who completely shut-off the ground at halfway and made scoring impossible for the visitors, as the home side took a seven-goal lead into the long break.
Needing a spark to reignite the contest, goals to Jai Coleclough and Callum Verrell to open the third term cut the lead to five goals for Rowville, who begun to dominate at the contest and lifted the pressure on the football.
Kicking four goals to two in the quarter, a 28-point lead at the final break left the door ajar for the Hawks, eager to hold on to their spot in the top four.
Matt Davey kicking the first of the final quarter further intensified the battle, after star midfielder Lachlan McDonald bound free of the Vermont defenders through the middle of the ground.
But Davey was soon-after dispatched from the field after laying a dangerous tackle.
Davey’s goal would prove to be Rowville’s final of the game, as the Eagles kicked the final four of the match, with the final margin the largest of the afternoon.
Missing star midfielders in Cooper McDonald and Max Martini, too much was left to Brolic, Lachlan McDonald, Lachlan Stapleton and Brock Coleclough in the middle of the ground.
Rowville will tackle Doncaster at Seebeck Oval next week.
