NORTH BALLARAT CITY 13.11 (89) d DARLEY 7.11 (53)
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By Michael Hankin
NORTH Ballarat City had to work hard to overcome a brave Darley outfit by 36 points in the BFL on Sunday.
After being in the balance for so long, the game was decided in a five-minute burst late in the third quarter, when City kicked three goals after Darley had skipped out to a 16-point lead.
It was a lapse of concentration that infuriated Darley coach Jarrod Edwards, who at the last break singled out the players he held responsible for allowing the easy goals to be kicked and the lead to change.
The Devils not only lost the frontrunning, but also confidence as North ran rampant in the final term after leading by just two points at three quarter time.
Keenan George and Derrick Micallef featured heavily on the score sheet in the last term for City, while Joe Symons and Martin Curtis were instrumental in the midfield.
North coach Jordyn Burke was particularly pleased about how his side was able to grind out the victory. “Coming into the game we knew it was going to be like a finals-like intensity, and Darley certainly brought that with its attack on the ball.
“We just needed that period where we were going to take our opportunities. We knew it was going to happen at some stage, and it just happened late in that third quarter. We did that and we were able to change the game.”
Disappointing was the word that Darley coach Jarrod Edwards used to sum up his feelings, also touching upon the lapse of concentration as the turning point in the contest.
“We got to a stage where we felt confident, that we were on top and the guys were playing really well.
“From there we just missed some opportunities and let them back into the contest.
“They kicked three goals in four minutes, which hurt us, and then they kicked the first goal in the last term very quickly which sucked the life out of us pretty much,” he said.
The win has North Ballarat City fourth, percentage behind Sunbury.
Darley is seventh and just percentage behind Melton (sixth), and still with a chance of playing finals.
LAKE WENDOUREE 15.12 (102) d REDAN 9.7 (61)
By David Brehaut
LAKE Wendouree withstood the most physical challenge it has faced all season to defy Redan and remain on top of the Ballarat Football League.
The Lakers soaked up the finals-like pressure and then flexed their muscle to march away by 41 points at Wendouree on Saturday.
The power and ultimately the class of Lake Wendouree’s midfield led by the irrepressible Steve Clifton, hard-nosed Nick Peters, youngster Bailey Edwards and smooth moving Ben Taylor proved too much for Redan.
The Lions used the likes of Jarret Giampaolo and Liam Hunter to try to shut down Clifton and Peters, but it was to no avail.
On the other hand, Lake Wendouree was rapt with the effort of Dan Mahony on Redan’s ace Nathan Horbury, who was unable to have the consistent impact on the match he is accustomed to having.
Lake Wendouree coach Gavin Webb said the Lakers had reaped the benefits of a “great” preparation off the back of a bye. He said Lakers had to respond after losing their latest outing to North Ballarat City and they had.
“It showed character.” Webb said.
While Andrew Piston again an opportunist in attack with four goals to take his season tally past 50, there was particularly much to like about Lakers’ defence.
Lane Buckwell was hard to get past, while Isaac Kirby constantly intercepted the Lions’ pushes forward.
The bone-crunching contest was an arm wrestle for the best part of the first half with Redan answering everything thrown at by Lakers.
Lake Wendouree secured a match-winning break in the third quarter with three goals to get out to a 34-point lead before Redan kicked its first goal 25 minutes in.
While there were goals by Pitson and Taylor out of nothing, and impressing finishing by Clifton and Edwards, Redan had to work overtime to hit the scoreboard.
The Lions had one of their best periods late in opening term after Liam Hunter was reported for having tripped Nick Peters, yellow carded and sent off for 15 minutes.
Despite being down a man Redan stood firm and with spot fires breaking out as the intensity stepped up, the Lions kept Lakers to just one goal.
Each finished down one rotation, with Redan’s Nick Sullivan sitting out the second half with suspected concussion. Tanner Robertson went on ice in the third term after turning an ankle.
Steve Clifton is another injury concern after a knock to his cheekbone.
Ash Simpson was a late withdrawal from the selected team for Lakers, as was key forward Dan Colbert for Redan.
BACCHUS MARSH 13.14 (92) d MELTON 13.8 (86)
By Tyler Maher
Good teams find a way to win the games they are meant to.
Great teams find a way to take victory in the matches that they have no right to win.
We might just be witnessing the birth of such a great team in the Bacchus Marsh Cobras.
With a ferocious Melton aiming to sew up a finals berth and sniffing blood from the first siren, many would have forgiven the Cobras for succumbing to the heat of a battle they did not necessarily need to fight.
Sitting semi-comfortably in second position with a massive percentage advantage over its nearest chasers, coupled with the news of Lake Wendouree dominating filtering down the highway, meant that this was a game the red, yellow and black army could afford to drop.
They certainly did not play like it though.
The Bloods led at every change – even after the Cobras threatened to break the game open with three quick goals in the third term.
In a bruising affair, Bacchus Marsh had an answer for every Melton question and proved too composed and classy in the final minutes when it mattered most.
The football pinballed from arc to arc with scores locked and tensions high late in the last before young gun Hamish Coulton pulled down a pack mark and, after missing from a similar position not ten minutes earlier, showed nerves of steel to slot the sealer.
Melton had one final chance with seconds remaining, but Dillon Sharp could not pull in the third grab of a mark 50m out before Trent Angwin mopped up for the umpteenth time in the match and iced the game.
Logan Blundell and Matt Denham were best afield for the victor, while Jack Walker and Ryan Davis were monumental for the Bloods.
Alec Del Papa and Braeden Kight both snagged four majors for their respective sides.
The win keeps Bacchus Marsh within striking distance of a Minor Premiership that should come down to a Round 18 showdown with the Lakers after a trip to face Ballarat next week.
Melton will rue a missed opportunity to secure their own finals berth but still hold onto sixth place ahead of cutthroat matches against East Point and North Ballarat City to close out the season.
EAST POINT 14.16 (100) d BALLARAT 9.18 (72)
By Michael Hankin
EAST Point kept its season alive with a 28-point victory over Ballarat in the Ballarat Football League at the Eastern Oval on Saturday.
And with it went the faint hopes the Swans had of jumping into sixth position and an unlikely shot at playing finals.
A win was not negotiable for the Kangaroos if they were to stay within striking distance of the top six.
With so such at stake, it was no surprise to see little between them for most of the day.
East Point basically needed just a 10-minute patch late in the second quarter to get the break it needed.
The Kangaroos kicked five unanswered goals to set up a 30-point lead at the main break.
From there East Point was never seriously threatened, being able to hold its own in order to record the vital win.
Daniel Tung was outstanding for the Kangaroos, kicking four goals and having a hand in a number of other scoring opportunities, while Paul Koderenko controlled the ruck, and Chris Carson played an impressive game in defence.
Hayden Walters and Brad Whittaker also made noticeable contributions for East Point after limited game time this season – adding another dimension to a potent forward line, which could possibly welcome back Jordan Staley next week.
The Essendon VFL-listed Walters was playing his first game for the Kangaroos for the year after a shoulder injury and his addition was significant.
This was Whittaker’s second game back and his size certainly adds backbone to the East attack.
The effort from the young Swans side was never questioned, with Daniel Kennedy, Tom Stapleton and Hayden Hughes all performing admirably for the red and white.
East Point coach Glenn Wilkins was visibly relieved after the match.
“We did what we had to do today and that was win the game, so we still have a pulse which is good.
“There are certain things we will take away from that game and work on, as there is every game.
“There were some good signs of us getting back to that brand of footy we were playing earlier in the year, where our movement, intensity and attack on the contest seemed to be a lot better.
“Early in the game we controlled a fair chunk of it and the boys persisted to get reward for effort towards the end of the first half, which opened up a bit of a gap for us and gave us some breathing space,” he said.
Ballarat coach Ash Baker lamented the lapse in concentration near half-time.
“We thought we matched their intensity for much of the game, but that period killed us in the second quarter.
“It just proved to be the difference in the end,” Baker said.
East Point now faces Melton, which beat them earlier in the season, in a game which could determine each team’s finals fate.
Ballarat has a tough road home against Bacchus Marsh and Redan.
SUNBURY 27.27 (189) d MELTON SOUTH 13.4 (82)
VERSATILE Grant Valles is in doubt for Sunbury’s BFL finals campaign after suffering a substantial finger injury against Melton South at Melton on Saturday.
While the Lions’ 107-point win over the Panthers went a long way to securing third position with two rounds remaining, the Valles injury took the gloss off the day for them.
Sunbury coach Rick Horwood said Valles, who still had time to kick three first quarter goals, broke a finger and badly dislocated a knuckle in a straightforward marking contest.
He said he was taken to hospital for immediate treatment and it was still to be determined whether surgery would be required.
While Sunbury did dominate the game with 10 goals in the second quarter as part of 16-goal uninterrrupted run, Melton South did finish with determination.
The Panthers showed real resolve to kick eight goals in the last term.
Alik Magin was again Sunbury’s best.
LADDER
LAKE WENDOUREE 14 12 2 0 2 0 1444 986 146.45 56
BACCHUS MARSH 14 11 3 0 2 0 1562 887 176.10 52
SUNBURY 14 10 4 0 2 0 1541 1007 153.03 48
NORTH BALLARAT CITY 14 10 4 0 2 0 1532 1034 148.16 48
REDAN 15 10 5 0 1 0 1348 981 137.41 44
MELTON 14 6 8 0 2 0 1038 1138 91.21 32
Darley 14 6 8 0 2 0 1127 1286 87.64 32
East Point 14 5 9 0 2 0 1171 1252 93.53 28
Ballarat 14 5 9 0 2 0 1103 1434 76.92 28
Sebastopol 14 3 11 0 2 0 809 1386 58.37 20
Melton South 15 0 15 0 1 0 829 2113 39.23 4