DIVISION ONE
FRANKSTON YCW have finally broken their run of seven games without a win by defeating Edithvale-Aspendale in a dominant display.
The Stonecats’ last win came over two months ago on 5 May against Mornington in a victory that solidified their spot on top of the ladder. Since that game they have slumped to sixth place and now face a real danger of missing out on finals.
Their clash at home against Edi-Asp on Saturday was an absolute must win, but things got off to a shaky start. Edi-Asp went into the first break in front by two goals, and the Stonecats were left pondering just when their luck would turn.
Luckily for the Stonecats, they would have a much better second term, holding Edi-Asp to just one behind and kicking away to a 13 point lead. The game remained fairly even in the third quarter, and although the Stonecats went into the final term with a 24 point lead, the contest was far from over.
In the final quarter though, Frankston YCW announced that they were back in the most convincing way possible, hammering home eight goals to Edi-Asp’s one to run away with an easy victory and send alarm bells ringing throughout the rest of the league.
Division One’s sleeping giant finally awoke as the Stonecats claimed a comprehensive win over second placed Edithvale-Aspendale 17.18 (110) to 6.6 (42).
Kyle Hutchinson was the best player on the ground, booting four goals for the winning Stonecats.
At David Macfarlane Reserve, Sorrento played host to both Mornington and a number of high profile AFL stars as they held their ‘Purple Shark Day’ in support of the Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision charity.
Richmond premiership players Jack Riewoldt and Daniel Rioli were joined by former St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt and former Coleman Medallist Brendan Fevola at David Macfarlane Reserve, where they signed autographs and took photos with fans before the start of the game.
The bumper crowd certainly was treated to a thrilling game as well, as Sorrento and Mornington battled it out in what would be one of the best games of the year.
Mornington started out on the right foot over their highly fancied Sorrento opponents, making the most of their limited opportunities and heading into the first break with a three point lead.
Sorrento fought back in the second term to wrestle back the lead, but could only establish a three point buffer at the main break despite outnumbering the Bulldogs by eight scoring shots.
After the half time break, Mornington came out determined to make Sorrento pay for their sloppiness in front of goal, as they kicked four goals straight to go into the final term with a narrow one point advantage.
Although it looked as if one of the season’s most shocking upsets was on the cards, the Sharks showed the quality that made them the team to beat this season, and fought back to claim a nail biting come from behind win 10.17 (77) to 12.3 (75).
Mitch Hallahan continued his stellar run of form with another best on ground display for Sorrento, while Shannon Gladman also contributed handily to the win with three goals.
At Bonbeach Recreation reserve, Mt Eliza travelled to take on Bonbeach as they looked to close the gap between third and second place.
Mt Eliza were on top for the majority of the game, but no matter how hard the Redlegs tried they couldn’t drive the final nail in the coffin. Mt Eliza led at each break during the game, but never by more than two points.
Although the contest looked set to go down to the wire in the final term, the Redlegs finally kicked away and established a buffer, holding the Sharks to just one point in the final term to take out a 6.6 (42) to 9.6 (60) win.
Ben Landry and Luca Goonan were among the best on the ground for Mt Eliza, while former Sydney Swan Trent Dennis-Lane was a contributor for Bonbeach with two goals.
The win takes Mt Eliza to within one game of second place Edi-Asp going into the final rounds of the year.
The final game for the round saw Pines host the Frankston Bombers in what would turn out to be a one sided affair.
The goal hungry Pines easily claimed the four points by booting 21 goals in a percentage boosting win that took them to fourth on the ladder. Pines boast the best percentage in the league by a wide margin, which may come in handy coming into the closing stages of the home and away season.
The game was done and dusted by the quarter time break, as Pines raced out of the gates with a stunning nine goal to one first term which put them out to a 48 point lead.
From there, the Bombers could do nothing to get back into the contest, as they eventually succumbed to Pines 21.11 (137) to 11.13 (78).
Pines boasted 12 individual goal kickers, with Aaron Ludewig and Aaron Edwards the best among them with four and three respectively.