MELTON SOUTH 9.15 (69)

North Ballarat City remains in the hunt for Ballarat Football League finals after storming to a 40-point victory over Melton South at the Northern Oval on Sunday. 

With each locked with East Point and Melton in a battle for sixth, the match had all the ingredients of an elimination final.

Melton South dominated the first term to lead by 27 points, with City scoreless.

The Panthers should have been much further in front, but a return of 3.9 held them back.

It was a different story in the second quarter as big forward Will Young hit his straps and Nathan Dunstan turned the match in the ruck. 

The third term was a classic arm wrestle, with the margin never going into double figures in a goal-for-goal engagement.

While the high profile Melton South forwards of Brendan Fevola, Mitch Banner and Jonathan Kent were relatively quiet in attack, the move of Fevola into the midfield sparked the Panthers, 

However, it did not last long enough with the likes of Young, Harrison Loader, Daniel Jones and Simon McCartin among the players to put the game to bed for North.

Fevola said Melton South had paid for inaccuracy.

“We didn’t make the most of a massive breeze in the first and then just didn’t utilise the breeze at all in the third, so we were just trying to hang on in the last quarter.

“We had to come out in the third quarter and capitalise, but we just butchered the footy, “ he said.

North coach Jordyn Burke was pleased with his side’s output after quarter time. 

“We just didn’t take the time to adapt to the conditions quickly enough, but after Melton South wasted opportunities we made the most of ours and really took that luck. 

“Accountability wasn’t good enough in the first quarter, so to their credit they changed the whole dynamic of the contest and it really contributed to the result in the end,” he said.

The win lifts North Ballarat two places to seventh – on the same premiership points and above Melton South and Melton, and one game behind sixth-placed East Point with three rounds to go.

City will get every opportunity to keep climbing with a bye followed by a clash with East Point and Melton.

North Ballarat’s season might go down to the East Point fixture, which shapes a must-win for each. East Point’s also meets Melton and Lake Wendouree.

BACCHUS MARSH V DARLEY

Bacchus Marsh has moved into outright Ballarat Football League premiership favouritism.

The Cobras stepped up their title defence and also provided Darley’s aspiration with a major setback by giving the Devils a 64-point hiding at Maddingley Park on Saturday.

Bacchus Marsh has not lost since lowering its colours to Darley in round one and with every week is looking more like the combination which secured a first BFL premiership last year.

And it is a player who was not part of that historic achievement in ruckman/forward Dean Heta who is having a major say in shaping the Cobras’ prospects.

The star recruit produced another best-on-ground performance, with a copybook exhibition in the ruck and four-goal haul while resting in attack.

Heta formed an unbeatable combination with Daniel Burton, who put in his best game for the season. Burton has been struggling with a knee problem, but showed little sign of it.

Heta and Burton provided just one factor that Darley was unable to cope with in a highly disappointing day.

Jarrah Maksymow made a big return after a four-week absence with five goals and defensively Liam Mullen and Jackson Bolton were supreme.

Bacchus Marsh set the tone with the wins with five goals in the opening quarter and then maintained the margin in the second, when Darley relied too heavily on the breeze to do the work.

Darley ultimately lost touch late in the third term, when the Cobras kicked five unanswered and predominantly opportunist goals – including four in the last 10 minutes of a 35-minute quarter to lead by 52 points.

Bacchus Marsh coach Travis Hodgson said it was the closest the Cobras had gone to producing a consistent four-quarter effort for the season.

He said they had taken away everything that Darley relied on to win  – uncontested football, time, space – to get the match on their terms.

Darley struggled across the board, with coach Heath Scotland one of a few Devils to have any influence. Not even the Cobras’ supremacy was able to shut him down as he dominated at clearances. 

Each side lost small prime movers early in the game.

Scott Sherlock (Bacchus Marsh) might be in for an extended time out with a strained hamstring, an injury which sidelined him at Werribee Tigers last year.

The day ended for Dan Roy (Darley) after he received a nasty knock to the face in a contest.

Bacchus Marsh 5.4, 8.9, 14.13, 17.16 (118)

Darley 1.1, 4.5, 6.9, 7.12 (54)

GOALS - Bacchus Marsh: Jarrah Maksymow 5, Dean Heta 4, Alec Del Papa 2, Declan Phyland 2, Liam Noonan 2, Jadyn Trowsdale 1, Simon Lafranchi 1. Darley: Dane Grenfell 2, Mark Hanson 2, Harley Inglis 1, Brian Graham 1, Daniel Robson 1

BEST - Bacchus Marsh: Dean Heta, Matt Denham, Liam Mullen, Jackson Bolton, Jarrah Maksymow, Daniel Burton. Darley: Kyle Docherty, Jackson Carrick, Tom Evans, Brian Graham, Dane Grenfell, Heath Scotland

MELTON V SUNBURY

Sunbury can start planning for another Ballarat Football League finals series.

The Lions ensured their place in the top six with a dour 24-point win over Melton at MacPherson Park on Saturday.

Sunbury is fifth and looks likely to stay there while the leading quartet chases top two positions and the battle for sixth continues.

The Bloods threw everything at Sunbury, repeatedly threatening. Every time Melton loomed large though, the Lions found something extra.

In the end a goalless last quarter put pay to Melton, which despite losing four games in a row can still forced its way into the top six if it beats East Point, Melton South and North Ballarat City.

Bradley Mundy impressed on debut for Sunbury, while ruckman David Kovacevic is heading into the form the Lions will need in the finals.

It was largely the Walker show for Melton, with Riley, Jack and Daniel prominent along with Jaycob Hickey.

Sunbury 2.1, 4.3, 6.6, 8.7 (55)

Melton 2.5, 3.6, 4.7, 4.7 (31)

GOALS - Sunbury: Alik Magin 2, Andrew Duhau 1, Jacob Bygate 1, Jesse Flannery 1, Mitchell Trimboli 1, Trent Stead 1, Alec Goodson 1. Melton: Angus Grigg 1, Jordan Kight 1, Nicholas Gale 1, Kayne Wilson 1

BEST - Sunbury: David Kovacevic, Jack Hannett, James Rizk, Bradley Mundy, Tom Donoghue, Mitchell Trimboli. Melton: Jaycob Hickey, Riley Walker, Jack Walker, Daniel Walker, Connor Griffiths, Kayne Wilson

BALLARAT V REDAN

Redan was untroubled in defeating Ballarat by 65 points in the BFL at Alfredton on Saturday.

However, the Lions’ injury woes continued.

Already with the likes of coach Brendan Peace, Chris and Jarrett Giampaolo, Ben Schiltz and Callum Currie sidelined, VFL-listed Josh Webster and veteran Ryan Waight did not see out the game.

Not long back after wrist trouble, Webster strained a hamstring and Waight suffered a neck compression.

A big plus though was the return of Orren Stephenson, who made his presence felt in attack with five goals.

Redan quickly put its authority on the game with the opening two goals into the wind and then kicked away  with six in the second, while Ballarat struggled to take advantage of what opportunities it had all day.

The win lifts Redan to third position – one game ahead of Darley, but still to face top two Lake Wendouree and Bacchus Marsh in the remaining three rounds. 

Redan 3.1, 9.4, 11.5, 15.8 (98)

Ballarat 1.4, 1.7, 2.15, 3.15 (33)

GOALS - Redan: Mitchell Phelps 5, Orren Stephenson 5, Liam Hoy 3, Nicholas Willox 1, Ryan Waight 1. Ballarat: Jesse Marshall 1, Ged Shearer 1, Jack Sutherland 1

BEST - Redan: Mitchell Phelps, Orren Stephenson, Keenan Waterbury, Kyle Hayes, Jacob Short, Patrick Britt. Ballarat: Bailey Van de Heuvel, Sam James, Shane Hutchinson, Daniel Kennedy, Daniel Hobbs, Tyler Constable

SEBASTOPOL V LAKE WENDOUREE

Lake Wendouree returned to its brutal best with a 140-point victory over Sebastopol in the Ballarat Football league at Marty Busch Reserve on Saturday. 

In what could only be described in football term as a “bloodbath” in wet and blustery conditions, Lakers ran rampant against the Kookaburras – leading comfortably at every change. 

With Ben Taylor, Lucas Anderson, Tom Nijam and Nathan Pring all featuring heavily on the scoreboard, and Ben Peters dominant in the midfield, it was in many ways the tune up that coach Tim Malone and his side needed as they near finals.

Taylor kicked five majors, and Anderson, Nijam and Pring, in his long awaited return after a lengthy hamstring injury, four apiece.

“It was a really good four-quarter performance, somehing which we spoke about during the week,” Malone said.

“I think we are really starting to build towards Redan next week and then finals footy, so hopefully we can continue to get it right. 

“Our ball movement was pleasing and we tweaked a bit of structure, which I thought really worked.

“So hopefully against Redan, which will be a bigger test again, we can be disciplined enough to stick to what we did today,,” Malone said.

He said the challenge was to back it up again next week. 

“We don’t have that big tall key forward who will kick us nine or 10 goals so we need to mix and match a bit, and it’s also great for our midfielders to hit the scoreboard,” Malone said.

Sebastopol coach Shane Snibson reiterated to his side the importance of preparation, making sure the players were aware of just what it took to be a successful football side. 

Lake Wendouree 6.3, 12.6, 23.11, 25.17 (167)

Sebastopol 1.0, 2.1, 2.2, 4.3 (27)

GOALS - Lake Wendouree: Ben Taylor 5, Lucas Anderson 4, Nathan Pring 4, Tom Nijam 3, Nicholas Peters 3, Ashley Simpson 2, Jayden Hooper 1, Stephen Clifton 1, Eamonn Mc Cuskey 1, Nathan Monk 1. Sebastopol: Geoffrey Lovett 2, Toby Hutt 1, Simon Butler 1

BEST - Lake Wendouree: Nicholas Peters, Ben Taylor, Jayden Hooper, Luke Bucknall, Tom Nijam, Angus Kirby,  Sebastopol: Jai Harvey, Daniel Widgery, Ben Hutt, Tom Petersen, Simon Butler