Another quadruple sweep opportunity has gone begging for the Wattle Park Football Club as the Seniors fell at the last hurdle against a Bulleen-Templestowe hellbent on getting the four points, while the other three teams all picked up wins earlier in the day. A lone homestand at Bennettswood Reserve saw the Thirds get one back over St Mary’s Salesian, before newly appointed captain Matthew Price steered the Reserves home to the tune of 107 points. Over at W. R. Ruthven Reserve, the Women continued their dominance over Preston, leaving the field 13-point winners to make it two from two for the year.
Four goals to 50-gamer Lachie Hicks headlines a smashing win by the Reserves, taking down a Bulleen-Templestowe side only able to scrounge together two goals from eight scoring shots. Twelve individual goalkickers made things very hard for most of the 100-minute game as the Animals seemingly lulled the home side into a false sense of security in the first quarter, before launching ahead in the second, taking a 31-point lead into the half-time break. The scoreboard heavily ticked over for the Reserves in the third term, kicking 5.5 to extend their margin to 58 points. While the door was arguably already shut by the final 25 minutes, the Animals were unrelenting, adding nine more goals to really send a message. In his return from injury, Mitch Lamb earns best-on-ground honours, while Thomas Mariadason contributed three goals. Two majors each to Louis Fasolino and Jacob Mitchell rounds out the multiple-goalscorers list.
A low-scoring affair at Ted Ajani Reserve has seen the Seniors slump to their third loss in a row. It wasn’t to be for the Animals, who started the game on the back foot after miskicking from both sides saw the Bullants take just a one-point lead into quarter-time. The back and forth would continue for much of the game as the home side began to take more of their limited opportunities inside 50 and out-hunted the Animals for possession of the ball. Never really out of it, the Seniors were just unable to find their way through, ultimately losing by 11 points at the final siren. In positive news, backman-turned-forward Baxter Newbegin kicked three goals, with two from first-year Animal Tom Ferguson and one from ruckman Fletcher Cooper rounding out the goalkickers. Tom Wales continued his good form, with his work in defence earning him top honours in the best players list, joined by Scott McCarney in his return from injury.
The Thirds righted some past wrongs on the weekend, downing St Mary’s Salesian by 18 points in spectacular fashion in direct contrast to their previous encounter. A Caden MacDonald masterclass of seven goals, with the opportunity for more, drove the Animals to victory after a slow first quarter, which saw just three scoring shots to eleven. However, after a rousing first-break speech, the Thirds well and truly awoke, kicking seven goals in the second term to take a nine-point lead into half-time. The arm wrestle then continued for the last half as miskicking in front of goal kept the scoreboard closer than it arguably should have been. Down by seven at the final break, the Animals were unrelenting in their ball movement, running out the game in a six-goal-to-two quarter to take the win convincingly. Backline general Daniel Thorson was named best-on-ground, with his patrolling the defensive half of the ground seeing many chances for the away side to score slip away. A Thirds appearance for Anthony Smith has resulted in top-six best mention, joined by regulars in Benjamin Kearns, George Burgess and Jordy Rodda, and rounded out with MacDonald.
Fourteen behinds have propelled the Women to their third win of the year, and their second against divisional foes in the Bullants, as the miskicking in front of goal proved to be the only misstep in an otherwise complete 80-minute game of football. Two goals to first-year Animal Rose Kennedy in the first quarter got her team well and truly started as the fast-start focus once again paid dividends. With a lead at the start of the second term, the Women continued their intensity, limiting the opposition on the scoreboard while adding two of their own goals through vice-captain Grace Ambrosini, whose kick forward bounced fortunately over the head of a Preston defender and through the big sticks, and Emily Severin, who managed to send the ball through at insane angle for the Animals’ fourth of the match. After half-time, with both the lead and the knowledge of games passed, the Women made every effort to ensure they kept up their pressure. With the final goal of the game in the middle of the third quarter, Shannon Harris, without taking possession and running on pure instinct, soccered the ball out of the air after a Kennedy kick saw it smashed into the face of a Bullants player before rebounding into the swingman’s path. For the rest of the game, the Animals held on, contest after contest allowing the time to elapse as the final siren sounded amongst loud cheers. Ashton Billing was undoubtedly best-on-ground, having to navigate the attention of at least two opposition players at all times.
A traditional triple-header at Bennettswood Reserve awaits for round ten as the usual timeslots see the Women welcome an unfamiliar opposition in Brunswick at 9:20am, while at 11:40am/2pm respectively, the Reserves and Seniors take the field against Elsternwick. For the Thirds, they head to Frearson Oval for a rematch against the Monash Blues at 4:45pm.
FINAL SCORES - ROUND NINE
Thirds v St Mary’s Salesian: 16.12.108 - 12.18.90
Bulleen-Templestowe v Reserves: 2.6.18 - 19.11.125
Preston v Women: 4.7.31 - 5.14.44
Bulleen-Templestowe v Seniors: 7.10.52 - 6.5.41