By Jonty Ralphsmith
Sport is the great leveller.
On a seven-game momentum-fuelled winning stretch, Doveton came to Murrumbeena red hot as arguably the form team in Southern Division Two football.
Within 15 minutes of the first siren, though, they were a step behind and a defeat in an ugly slogfest seemed inevitable.
Key forward James Gascard got Doveton’s first goal but it was his attempt to slot through number two which typified the Doves’ day.
Hayden Waters set him up with a lace out kick to the goalsquare on the stroke of halftime.
On the ground a metre out after taking the mark, he missed from point blank range.
It would take until stoppage time in the fourth quarter for Doveton to kick their second, via Ricky Johnson as they went down 8.11 59 to 2.5 17.
On-ballers Jake Basa and Shannon Henwood had three looks between them in that time but none went through, their misses illuminating Doveton being a yard off all day.
Nothing they did worked.
Rev-ups about men playing for positions fell on deaf ears, as did the instruction to players midway through the third quarter to play man on man.
Deekon Stapleton, Brodie Howie and Ricky Johnson were among some different names that ran through the middle to try to inject speed and encourage Doveton to change lanes going forward.
“It was a really disappointing day – they outhunted us, outplayed us, and they stood their ground a bit more on a wet day underfoot,” said Doves coach Michael Cardamone.
“No one stood up when it mattered most.
“There’s definitely a lot to work on. We talked about the high emotions of last week’s win earlier – I hope the boys didn’t think it was just going to happen because Murrumbeena are a bloody good side. We’ve got a lot to work on.”
Respect is earned over a sustained period of time.
An optimist would look at the Doves’ undefeated stretch, and long period on top last year as a sign of their status in the competition.
But the Murrumbeena performance brings into question the Doves’ ability against the best in 2023.
Skill errors were more common that targets hit and repeatedly players took too long to dispose of the footy resulting in a free kick or turnover.
The inability to stop the Lions’ slingshot between the arcs was also glaring.
Two of their first four goals came straight from kick ins, with a series of other scores coming via rebounds from deep in defence.
Granted, Doveton defeated East Brighton a week earlier, but they lost to the Vampires badly earlier in the season and this performance was just as worrying.
Former NFL champion Mike Sitka perhaps puts Doveton’s current sitting in perspective: ‘success isn’t permanent and failure isn’t fatal.’
Around the grounds, Hampton Park went down 6.5 41 to 3.5 23 against East Brighton.
The scoreline was 2.3 15 apiece at the final break before East Brighton was able to run the game out despite Josh Stow and Trent Downe playing their best games of the season.
Keysborough took it right up to Caulfield on the road leading for large periods through the middle of the game.
The Bears were ultimately able to overcome a 14-point three-quarter-time deficit to win by four points.
Skye, meanwhile, survived an almighty scare from Black Rock, winning by just six points as conditions made free flowing play difficult at Carrum Downs Recreation Reserve.
In Division One, Cranbourne was far too good for an inexperienced Bentleigh.
A five goal third term broke the game open with Dylan Cavalot named best-on-ground.
Port Melbourne played their ground better and got cleaner entries than Dingley to breakaway to a 32-point win.
Springvale Districts was able to use the wind at Newcomen Road effectively against Chelsea Heights.
Kicking with the advantage in the first quarter gave them scoreboard ascendancy from the get-go.
The Dees scored 11 of their 12 goals with the wind and was able to absorb the pressure and concede just three against it.
Forwards George Angelopoulos and Matt Wetering were key upfront while midfielder Nick Gay led the midfield brigade.
The result propels Springvale Districts to third on the ladder with Dingley’s losing streak continuing.
The nine wins Springvale has so far recorded now exceed the eight it got in 2022 as the outcomes demonstrate the progress.
