Narre Warren has now won four out of its past six matches after getting one back against Murrumbeena to win by 27 points as Will Howe continued his stellar form with another five goals.
Having lost to the Lions earlier in the season, Magpies coach Steve Kidd said the team was looking to start well and put the visitors on the back foot.
“It was great to get our second win in a row, we were a bit disappointed with how we played against Murrumbeena the first time, so it was great to get some redemption,” he said.
Narre Warren started the game well with Hayden Dwyer controlling the ruck battle, and giving his midfielders first use.
The likes of Corey Bader and Kurt Mutimer were everywhere in the middle, clearing the ball and hitting up the forwards beautifully, but inaccuracy saw Narre Warren kick 3.5 in the first and 2.5 in the second – despite still holding a 22-point lead.
Tom Toner was a livewire and produced a number of special moments throughout the day, kicking one goal and single-handedly setting one up shortly after.
“Our first half was great and we probably should’ve been further in front to be fair, we missed a few goals that we should’ve kicked but our ball movement was great,” Kidd said.
“They came out firing in the third and flipped the game a bit, it sort of opened up after that and they were taking it on a bit more.”
The Lions, driven by young gun Nathan Scollo out of defence, threw caution to the wind and transitioned the ball with speed and while it worked, it also meant Narre Warren hurt them going back the other way.
Murrumbeena kicked three of the first four goals in the third term and got the margin back to nine points, before Howe and Richardson added three and settled things for the Magpies.
The home side was then able to shake off its poor goalkicking, turning the scoreboard from 5.10 to 10.11 in the third term.
Narre Warren controlled proceedings in the fourth quarter to run away with a 27-point win.
Howe (five goals) and Richardson (three goals) continue to pose a big threat ahead of the ball.
“Will is such a difficult match-up when he’s playing like that, particularly with Richo there as well – the opposition probably struggles to find two guys to go with both of them,” Kidd said.
Co-captain Trent Papworth was named Narre Warren’s best for a strong performance in defence, while Hamish West (two goals) was lively all day.
After a strong upset victory over Bentleigh last week which has the team sitting in sixth spot on the ladder, Kidd said it was a good vibe around the club.
“We’ve got a bit of belief going into next year that we are capable of matching it with the best teams,” he said.
“There have been a lot of things we have turned around … I think we were getting into the habit of being a few goals up and expecting that it was just going to happen, like it did for the last few years.”
Narre Warren will hope to finish the season on a high as it takes on two finalists in St Paul’s McKinnon (second) and Springvale Districts (fifth).
In other games, Dingley was too strong for St Paul’s McKinnon in what could well be a grand final preview, as the Dingoes narrowly held on by seven points.
The top-of-the-table clash didn’t disappoint as the teams battled it out in a thriller, with Dingley limping to the line to take its season record to 15-1.
Lachlan Benton had a day out for the Dingoes, kicking four goals to be named his team’s best player, while Brayden O’Toole (three goals) was solid for the Bulldogs.
Bentleigh bounced back from its loss to Narre Warren to thump Port Melbourne by 79 points, as Thomas Dowsing and Castan Racunica kicked four majors each.
The Demons kicked an impressive 12.5 in the second half, taking their opportunities in front of goal to win big, despite a six-goal performance from Colts’ Mitch Clarke in the loss.
Cranbourne fell short against Springvale Districts by 14 points, despite an enormously improved effort from when it met the Demons earlier in the year.
With the scores sitting level at 53-53 going into the final quarter, it was anyone’s game, but goals from Matt Wetering and George Angelopoulos saw Springy to victory – Ryan Jones (three goals) wound back the clock for Cranbourne.
The Eagles’ young brigade of Liam Foggo, Romeo Bellinvia and debutant Joel Davey all impressed, while Jackson Sketcher was at his damaging best for the Demons.
Cheltenham got back on the winners’ list with a healthy 46-point win over East Brighton, who has now slipped to seventh position on the ladder.
The Rosellas set the tone and destroyed any hope of a Vampire victory with a six-goal-to-zero opening quarter, with 13 scoring shots to one helping them establish an early 42-point lead, which they maintained.
Rex Kilburn had the football on a string, while Charlie Brookes and Max Davis (three goals each) led the way in the forward line.
SOUTHERN DIVISION 1
Results R16: Cheltenham 14.16 (100) def East Brighton 8.6 (54), Bentleigh 21.12 (138) def Port Melbourne 9.5 (59), Springvale Districts 9.14 (68) def Cranbourne 8.6 (54), Dingley 11.13 (79) def St Paul’s McKinnon 10.12 (72), Narre Warren 14.15 (99) def Murrumbeena 10.12 (72).
Ladder: Dingley 60, St Paul’s McKinnon 48, Cheltenham 42, Bentleigh 38, Springvale Districts 36, Narre Warren 26, East Brighton 24, Murrumbeena 18, Port Melbourne 16, Cranbourne 12.
Fixture R17: Dingley (1) v Cranbourne (10), Cheltenham (3) v Murrumbeena (8), East Brighton (7) v Port Melbourne (9), Springvale Districts (5) v Bentleigh (4), St Paul’s McKinnon (2) v Narre Warren (6).
