THIRDS:

A low-scoring affair at Elgar Park has seen the Thirds go down by two goals to Box Hill North on the weekend. Both teams are left to rue some early missed opportunities to get major scores on the board, but after taking 1.5 to 3.4 into the main break, it’s the Animals who drew the short end of the stick. The second half of the game continued in a similar vein to the first, as both sides struggled to get a foothold, before Box Hill North ultimately ran way 12-point winners. 

The Heydon brothers in Sam and Noah topped the best players’ list, while Khush Talati’s two goals gets him a mention as well. Rounding out the list is usual performers Will Honey, Lachlan Killeen and Dylan Jacob. 

Nine rounds in, the Thirds sit seventh on the ladder with three wins, six losses and a percentage of 78.32%. 

WP 2.9.21

BHN 4.9.33

RESERVES:

Not even a scoreless final quarter could stop the Reserves from continuing their glorious run of form as they extended their winning streak to eight games in a row, defeating Power House by 18 points at Bennettswood Reserve on Saturday. The Animals were straight out of the gates in the first term, with nine scoring shots to zero allowing them to take a 34-point lead into quarter time, thanks to three goals from Anthony Smith, before Power House steadied the ship albeit slightly in the second. 

With the sting out of the game, the Reserves continued peppering away as their opposition struggled against their ball movement. Two goals in the second term followed by two in the third had the Animals up by 38 points at the final break, but the footy gods still had more to say as Power House made one last rally to try and get the game on their terms. Despite not adding to their score and allowing their opponents to score 3.5, the Reserves ran out winners.

In his 50th game, stalwart Reserves backman Nic Glanville snuck forward for a sneaky goal, but it was his work all over the field that earned him a best-on-ground mention. Consistent performers this year round out of the rest of the best players’ list, with Henry Tickner, Tom Elliott, Matt Humphrey and Lachie Hicks all contributing to a strong Reserves squad, as did Tom Clarke’s two-goal effort. Sam Barrah and Dan Quattro also managed to get on the scoreboard with one and two majors respectively. 

After their only loss in round one, the Reserves have further cemented their spot on top of the ladder with eight wins and a percentage of 196.84%. 

WP 9.5.59

PH 6.5.41

SENIORS:

A five-goal final term has righted the wrongs of the Seniors’ last encounter with Power House, defeating them by 40 points after an otherwise even game. Only three goals were scored in the first term but the Animals started the second down by seven points, before majors to Zac Kearns, Kieran Mair and James Moran slowly kickstarted the team into gear. 

Despite another Saturday full of miskicks at goal from both sides, the Seniors kept their noses in front to take a seven-point buffer into the final quarter, where five individual goalkickers showed their class in front of the big sticks, as the Animals’ 11 scoring shots saw them home by the largest margin of the game.

Kearns, Mair and Moran finished the game with two goals each, but it was Reece Luehman’s work in the ruck that saw him take top honours for his efforts. Scott McCarney, Jess Goldsmid, Bailey Hunt, Guy Donovan and Mair round out the top 6. 

Sitting just inside the top four, the Seniors are well poised for the second half of the season with their six wins, three losses and percentage of 137.44%.

WP 10.14.74 

PH 4.10.34