Round seven was arguably a day to forget for the Wattle Park Football Club as all four teams suffered losses away from home, although for those concerned, Bennettswood Reserve was alive and kicking on Saturday night, don’t you worry. With the entire Animals squad spread across three different grounds and scheduled to start at similar times, it was a mammoth effort from all involved to get on the park. 

A best-on-ground performance from Reserves captain Anthony Smith ultimately could not stem the flow of a well-drilled St Mary’s Salesian side, who took the win by an unfortunate 82 points. Nine scoring shots to two in the first quarter set the scene before the Animals were left scrambling, the margin already at 60 by the main break. Without answers, the Reserves couldn’t do much else as the deficit continued to grow and scoring shots were getting harder to come by, before eight to three in the final quarter summarised the game. Five goals from the one-two punch of Dan Hill, who had three, and the older Anthony Smith with the rest kept the scoreboard ticking over in an otherwise tough day at the office. 

Not even three goals from defender-turned-forward Baxter Newbegin could get the Seniors over the line on Saturday, as St Mary’s Salesian kicked away in the final term, leaving Ferndale Park 22-point winners. Four straight to the home side versus 1.4 to the Animals in the first quarter left much to be desired before goalkicking worries in the second got the better of St Mary’s Salesian to keep the away team in it. The Seniors rallied to get within three by the final break but were unable to make it stick in the end. Backman Joden Crothers was deemed best-on, joined by some of the usuals in Tom Clarke, Ben Collins, Bailey Hunt and Nathan Bird. 

In his return game, Caden MacDonald kicked all three of the Thirds’ goals from 10 disposals as they suffered at the hands of South Melbourne Districts, going down by 53 points at Ian Johnson Oval. With just one major in the first quarter, the Animals started the game on the back foot and remained there for the rest of the day, with missed opportunities in front of goal doing little to lift the spirits. In more positive news, it seems like the backline suits Bailey McCabe, who managed 15 disposals and five rebound 50s, but it was fellow defender Aman Singh who was deemed best-on-ground. Resident Thirds in Jordy Rodda and George Burgess were also unsurprisingly part of the top 6 cohort.  

A slow first half with six goals kicked to just one has seen the Women fall by 39 points to familiar foe in Old Carey at Carey Sports Complex. With the midfield battle going all game long, it was the home side who capitalised on the dominance, where most of their goals came from clearances. But the game itself wasn’t all doom and gloom as the Animals dusted themselves off after the first quarter, kicking a major in the following three. A move from the backline to the forward line proved fruitful for Shannon Harris, who took a strong second-term, double-grab pack mark in the goalsquare before slotting a goal from right in front to open the Wattle Park account, before she provided an expert handball to teammate Caitie Power in the third quarter which resulted in another major. For the final Animals goal, you just can’t keep J Clancy away from the big sticks, solidifying another strong performance in the forward half of the ground. First-year Animal Ingrid Cain was staunch in defence for all 80 minutes, but Nyari Grzyb’s midfield work sees her top the best players list. 

This weekend we wipe the slate clean, with a traditional triple header on Saturday following a first-of-its-kind Friday night appearance for the Thirds. They’ll travel to Scammell Reserve to face Oakleigh for a 7:30pm start under lights, with a certain floral aroma rumoured to be in the air. For the Women, they return to their regularly scheduled time of 9:20am on Saturday morning hoping to even the ledger with De La Salle, while the Reserves and Seniors will run out for their  11:40am/2pm timeslots respectively, intent on getting on one back in the club stakes against South Melbourne Districts. 

FINAL SCORES - ROUND SEVEN

South Melbourne Districts v Thirds: 12.7.79 - 3.8.26

St Mary’s Salesian v Reserves: 19.15.129 - 7.5.47

Old Carey v Women: 9.8.62 - 3.5.23

St Mary’s Salesian v Seniors: 14.10.94 - 10.12.72