DIVISION ONE
FRANKSTON YCW have secured their place in the upcoming finals series with a convincing win over Rosebud at John Coburn Oval.
Both sides got off to a scrappy start in wet conditions, with only five goals scored between the two sides by half time. The Stonecats held the lead at the main break, but only by an eight point margin.
The game again failed to open up in the third term, as Frankston YCW scored the only goal of the term to stretch their lead to 12 points.
The final term wasn’t much prettier, but the Stonecats got the job done with a gritty win over Rosebud 7.8 (50) to 2.7 (19).
The win confirms that the Stonecats will play finals, but they cannot move any higher than fifth in the final round next weekend. They will have to play in an elimination final first up, and will have no double chance to fall back on should they slip up.
Frankston YCW Coach Wayne Capp said he was “rapt” to have secured a top five spot.
“We’re absolutely rapt to make finals, and we were pretty lucky that the other games went our way this weekend as well. We always thought we’d be in finals, obviously we had a lean patch with injuries and some guys unavailable but we were always confident of getting there,” he said.
“It definitely was a hard fought win against Rosebud, but now we’re there we’ve got the belief we can do anything. It’s such an even competition this year so we believe we can go all the way.”
The Stonecats’ most likely opponent in the elimination final will be Pines, who couldn’t progress up the ladder despite beating Mornington at Alexandra Park.
Their game got off to a thrilling start, as both sides traded goals in the first half. By the time the half time break came along, Pines found themselves ahead by three points, but the Bulldogs were showing plenty of bite.
In the second half, Pines showed the quality that has made them a genuine premiership contender this season, as they opened up a more comfortable lead over the plucky Bulldogs.
It wasn’t easy, but Pines got the job done over Mornington in the end, with the final score reading 13.9 (87) to 16.9 (105).
Aaron Edwards put four goals on the board for the winning side, while Nick Boswell and Shaun White also performed well.
Pines could escape that dreaded elimination final should other results go their way next week.
Another game with finals implications took place at Emil Madsen Reserve, as Mt Eliza leapfrogged Edithvale-Aspendale to claim second spot on the ladder.
Up against an under strength Edi-Asp, the Redlegs got off to a red hot start. They kicked the opening three goals of the game and held their opponents scoreless in the first term.
The Eagles’ cause wasn’t helped by an injury to Charlie Martello in the first term, which would rule him out for the rest of the game.
Edi-Asp responded well in the second term to wrestle back the lead, but after half time it was all Mt Eliza.
The Redlegs kicked eight goals to Edi-Asp’s three in the second half, which ensured they would run away to a comfortable win 11.11 (77) to 8.7 (55).
Robbie Turnbull was Mt Eliza’s best on ground, as he helped his side dominate in the midfield.
With Edi-Asp slipping up, Sorrento had a chance to go a match clear on top of the ladder if they could beat Frankston Bombers.
The typically slow starting Sharks were sure to make certain that the Bombers didn’t get the early jump on them. They held a 9 point lead at the first break, which they stretched to 42 by half time.
With Chris Dawes sidelined, Sorrento needed someone to step up and help in front of goal. It was Leigh Poholke who would prove the difference, kicking six majors to put Frankston to the sword.
Despite their season being on the line, the Bombers could do nothing to get the game back on track, as they eventually fell to the Sharks 15.15 (105) to 6.13 (49).
The result ruled the Bombers out of finals contention.
With one round to play, Sorrento have put themselves in pole position to finish first and enjoy a week off in the first week of finals.
The final match of the weekend saw Bonbeach’s finals hopes dashed after a shock loss to bottom of the ladder Seaford.
Bonbeach got off to a slow start, but still found themselves level with the Tigers at the half time break.
Although a win would’ve kept them in contention for a finals spot, Bonbeach were woeful in the second half, kicking no goals and eight behinds.
Seaford capitalised on the goalkicking woes of their opposition to run away with a fairly comfortable win over Bonbeach, with the final score reading 10.5 (65) to 4.15 (39).